Sr Applications Scientist

Nature’s Fynd is a Chi­ca­­go-based food com­pa­ny cre­at­ing ver­sa­tile alterna­tive pro­teins to nour­ish the world’s grow­ing pop­u­la­tion while nur­tur­ing the plan­et. Born out of research con­duct­ed for NASA on microbes in Yellowstone Nation­al Park, the company’s break­through tech­nol­o­gy pro­duces Fy™. Fy is a new-to-the-world, nutri­tion­al fun­gi protein that only uses a frac­tion of the resources required by tra­di­tion­al agri­cul­ture. We use Fy to make delicious, nutritious, and sustainable meat and dairy alternatives.

Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food tech company born out of NASA-supported research on extremophiles in the geothermal pools of Yellowstone National Park. Our novel fermentation technology produces a sustainable source of complete protein using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. As the challenge to feed the world’s expanding population grows, our mission is to create amazing foods and materials that provide sustainable choices and nurture the planet.

We’re looking for passionate, driven, and ambitious people to join our fast-growing team.

As a Food Applications Scientist, you will be responsible for designing and running food and beverage application experiments with ingredients derived from our novel mycoprotein platform.  This includes identifying promising food/beverage applications that drive business growth for existing ingredients as well as partnering with ingredient development teams to evaluate emerging ingredients.  The Food Applications Scientist will also conduct ingredient characterization testing to inform performance in food and beverage systems. To achieve this, the scientist will investigate the interaction and functionality of mycoprotein and other functional ingredients for use in food and beverage.

The ideal Scientist will have a broad understanding of several food and beverage applications, including functional/nutritional beverages, dairy, extruded snacks, cereals, sauces, and dressings.  Experience in conventional as well as plant-based or “alternative” products is desired.  Previous experience supporting the sale of ingredients with applications expertise and/or technical service is also desired.  A strong external network of third parties that can complement internal capability would additionally be valued. 

The Food Applications Scientist would be expected to have a strong background in food science with exposure to ingredient science, protein chemistry, as well as experience in laboratory techniques involving the physical characterization of foods and ingredients. The Scientist will work closely with third parties, in addition to hands-on application work, to develop and support ingredient sales.  Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, as well as experience in managing multiple projects in parallel, are also important for this role.

This position will report directly to the Vice President of Ingredient Development.

This position will be based in Chicago, IL at our 2075 W 43rd St location.