UPSIDE Foods

Senior Research Associate, Process Development

UPSIDE Foods$85K — $100K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in a relevant scientific discipline with 4+ years or M.S. with 2+ years of industry experience
  • Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, preferably in suspension bioreactors
  • Proficient in experimental design, statistical analysis (like JMP), and data visualization tools (like Tableau)
  • Strong background in data analysis and technical documentation
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

Responsibilities

  • Lead technical projects or workstreams within PD/MSAT, planning experiments and coordinating stakeholders
  • Execute suspension cell culture experiments in bench-scale bioreactors
  • Perform routine cell culture assays and support process optimization studies
  • Design and conduct experiments, applying statistical analysis and visualization
  • Analyze data and create high-quality technical documentation
  • Present findings and recommendations in team and cross-functional meetings
  • Collaborate with various teams to support data generation and process understanding

Benefits

  • Stock options for full-time incoming team members
  • 83-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums
  • Pet insurance available
  • Unlimited PTO policy
  • Opportunities for company-sponsored learning & development
Full Job Description
About this job:

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Associate to support bioprocess development for cell culture process characterization and optimization. This role will focus on executing experiments in bench-scale bioreactors and supporting the development and implementation of automation for lab workflows, as well as contributing to downstream process development, including cell separation and concentration. This is a hands-on role requiring independent experimental execution, troubleshooting, and data analysis. The successful candidate will interpret results, recommend next steps, and clearly communicate findings to cross-functional teams. The Senior Research Associate will also lead discrete technical projects or workstreams within PD/MSAT, contributing to process scale-up and manufacturing-relevant outcomes in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities include:
  • Lead discrete technical projects or workstreams within PD/MSAT, including planning experiments, coordinating with stakeholders, and driving timely execution.
  • Execute suspension cell culture experiments in bench-scale bioreactors to support upstream process development and data generation.
  • Perform routine cell culture assays and support process optimization and robustness studies.
  • Design and execute experiments, applying statistical analysis and data visualization tools to interpret results.
  • Analyze data and generate clear, high-quality technical documentation and reports.
  • Present experimental findings and recommendations in team and cross-functional meetings.
  • Partner with Cell Line, Media Development, PD/MSAT, Manufacturing, and Engineering teams to support cross-functional data generation and process understanding.

About you:
  • B.S. in a relevant scientific or technical discipline with 4+ years, or M.S. with 2+ years of industry experience.
  • Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture processes is required; experience with suspension cell culture in controlled bioreactor systems is strongly preferred.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in experimental design, statistical analysis (e.g., JMP), and data visualization or reporting tools (e.g., Tableau or equivalent).
  • Strong background in experimental data analysis, interpretation, and technical documentation.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present and discuss experimental results clearly and effectively.
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced and cross-functional environment.

Who you'll work with:
  • This role sits within the Process Development (PD) team and collaborates closely with Cell Line Development, Media Development, MSAT, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Food R&D to understand how process parameters impact both process performance and final product quality.

Compensation Range: $85,000 - $100,000*

*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!
  • Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
  • 83-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
  • Pet insurance for your furry family members!
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

About UPSIDE Foods

Upside Foods is a food technology company headquartered in Berkeley, California aiming to grow sustainable cultured meat. The company was founded by Uma Valeti, Nicholas Genovese, and Will Clem. Valeti was a cardiologist and a professor at the University of Minnesota. The company plans to produce various meat products using biotechnology to induce stem cells to differentiate into muscle tissue, and to manufacture the meat products in bioreactors. In February 2016, Memphis Meats published a video of a cultured meatball and in March 2017, they published a video of cultured chicken and duck dishes. In February 2017, the company indicated its goal was to produce at 60 euros per kilogram and enter the market by 2020. In August 2017, Memphis Meats announced that it had raised a $17 million Series A funding round. The round was led by DFJ and also included investment from Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Suzy and Jack Welch, Cargill, Kimbal Musk, and Atomico. Initially, the production cost of the cultured beef was $18,000 per pound, and the production cost of the cultured poultry was $9,000 per pound. As of June 2017, the company had reduced the cost of production to below $2,400 per pound. The company said it anticipated cost reductions and commercial release of its products by 2021.
Learn more about UPSIDE Foods
Industry
Founded
2015

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