Impossible Foods

R&D Scientist

Impossible Foods$90K — $130K *
Food & Beverages
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • M.S./Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science, or similar field with 4+ years of product innovation experience
  • Proven track record of innovative research and development projects
  • Strong chemical intuition and knowledge of flavor chemistry along with gums, starches, and proteins
  • Strong skills in experimental design, data analysis, and results communication
  • Experience mentoring junior researchers

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with a diverse team to develop novel plant-based meat products
  • Lead the recreation of animal tissue replicas using plant-based materials
  • Understand ingredient interactions and optimize food matrices for desired outcomes
  • Conduct meticulous sensory and instrumental assays to validate progress
  • Mentor research associates on technical approaches and best practices
  • Engage in hands-on prototype creation and team tastings
  • Present experimental data to research teams and broader audiences

Benefits

  • Opportunities for all job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities
  • Support for reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process
  • Potential for remote work from most US states (excluding a few exceptions)
Full Job Description
Job Summary:

We are seeking a mission-aligned Sr/Scientist, to join the Product Development Team -an interdisciplinary team of food scientists, chemists, designers, and chefs.

You will be working on complex future products and be a technical lead on new material integration while creating prototypes with optimal flavors & textures. You are a curious, analytical, collaborative, and creative problem solver that has deep expertise in food ingredient functionality.

You Will:
• Work as part of a team to deliver complex novel plant-based meat products
• Lead efforts on recreating a variety of animal tissue replicas using plant-based materials.
• Lead efforts to understand the interaction of ingredients and the effect of process parameters in complex food matrices, optimizing the system to deliver against the desired outcome.
• Use meticulous sensory and instrumental assays to guide and validate progress
• Use outside-the-box exploration: playful exploration and de novo prototyping
• Present experimental and project data to both research team and broader audiences
• Proactively collaborate cross-functionally, framing trade-off decisions to balance product targets, timelines, and COGS.
• Mentor research associates on technical approaches and best practices
• Participate in hands-on prototype creation and experimentation
• Participate in team tastings
• Voice ideas, concerns and solutions to teammates
• Keep a detailed experimental notebook and batch records

You Have:
• M.S./Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science, or similar field with 4+ year of product innovation experience
• Proven track record of innovative research and development projects
• A passion to create delicious plant-based products
• Strong chemical intuition, knowledge of flavor chemistry, gums, starches, and proteins, and how to modulate their characteristics with process, synergistic interactions with other materials, and different conditions within a product.
• Strong skills in designing experiments, data analysis, data interpretation, and communication results to both researchers and broader audiences
• Experience with formulation development
• Experience mentoring junior researchers
• Experience in designing and conducting sensory testing is a nice to have
• Self-starter that is naturally curious and enjoys working in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to continuously challenge assumptions to seek innovative solutions

If the ability to work remotely is indicated, this role can be performed from any US state except for Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

This role is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

About Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods is a company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. The company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, a former biochemistry professor at Stanford University. The company's flagship product is the Impossible Burger, a plant-based burger that is designed to look, taste, and cook like a traditional beef burger. The Impossible Burger is made from a blend of wheat protein, potato protein, coconut oil, and heme, a molecule that gives meat its characteristic flavor and aroma. The company's mission is to reduce the environmental impact of meat production by creating a more sustainable and ethical alternative.
Learn more about Impossible Foods
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2011

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