Research Associate I, Tissue Development

About us

At the forefront of farming and food, UPSIDE Foods is innovating new ways to produce real meat, without the need to breed, feed and slaughter animals. Our process begins with an animal cell, which is cultivated and harvested as meat. The founding company of the industry, UPSIDE Foods is a mission-driven organization focused on bringing to meat lovers an authentic product that is truly humane, sustainably produced, nutritious and delicious! We are now expanding our team of dedicated professionals across disciplines to make better meat for a better world.

About this job

This Research Associate will be responsible for performing screening, characterization, and early-stage process development experiments while also aiding in medium-scale bioprocessing endeavors. The Research Associate should be capable of troubleshooting and executing experiments independently while employing critical thinking and organizational skills. This laboratory-based position requires performing experiments/assays on a daily basis with relatively high throughput, followed by analysis and interpretation of the data, presentation of findings to the relevant teams, and suggestion of follow-up experiments. You should be tenacious and adaptable, and you should be a team player.

Responsibilities include...

• Culture cells/tissues and execute routine cell culture assays (e.g. immuno-staining/imaging, protein/DNA quantification)
• Utilize high-throughput cell culture, liquid dispensing, and imaging platforms
• Provide input for further experiments based on data and objectives
• Take initiative to improve the efficiency of lab processes
• Collect, manage, organize, interpret, and present data

About you...

• B.S. in relevant scientific/technical area OR A.S. in relevant scientific/technical area with 1+ years of relevant work experience 
• Working knowledge of, and hands-on experience with, cell culture processes 
• Strong written and oral communication skills and comfort with frequent presentation of results to the team
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and cross-functional environment

Who you’ll work with…

• This role sits within the Upstream Development functional team, but will work closely with the Cell Culture Media and Process Development teams as part of their cross functional projects
• Additionally, this role will collaborate with Food R&D teams including material characterization, sensory, and product development teams for the purpose of understanding the impact of the levers we pull on the product as food, not just biomass

Key Contributions in First Year…

• Increase the experimental throughput of the Tissue Development team through significant hands-on contributions
• Investigate innovative methods for producing cultivated meat to generate the data that will enable organization level prioritization decisions

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO
• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.