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Research Associate: Product Development

Wild Type

Wild Type

Product
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Nov 4, 2023

About Wildtype

Wildtype is on a mission to create the cleanest, most sustainable seafood on the planet, starting with sushi-grade salmon. We’re pioneering cellular agriculture to protect wild species and our oceans, and to reverse trends of global food insecurity. Wildtype will provide consumers with a new option for real seafood that provides the same nutritional benefits as the most pristine wild-caught fish, without common contaminants such as mercury, microplastics, antibiotics, or pesticides.

We were founded in 2016 by Aryé Elfenbein, a cardiologist and molecular biologist, and Justin Kolbeck (CEO), a former US diplomat who served in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in an effort to solve one of the world’s biggest problems: how to feed a growing population without stripping the earth of its natural resources and biodiversity. Investors include L Catterton, Jeff Bezos, Spark Capital, CRV, Temasek, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition, among others.

Come join us in transforming our food system for good!

Your work at Wildtype

  • Formulation of novel foods, ingredient processing, screening, and novel food innovation research
  • Design and execute physical, chemical, and sensory tests. Analyze and interpret test results to guide the team’s R&D efforts
  • Ensure and improve product quality and safety by developing formulations and processing methods that meets the highest standards, and transfer technologies for scale-up and commercialization

What you bring to Wildtype

  • Master’s or Bachelor's degree in food science, polymer science, materials science or another related field with a focus on ingredient/component functionality, food chemistry etc.
  • 1-4 years of experience working in a food research laboratory and/or in an industrial food setting
  • Basic understanding of food safety, ingredient interactions, food regulation, mechanical textural analyses, and sensory analyses
  • Passion for the science of food, and for solving problems of complex food matrices

What we’ll teach you

  • Product development in the context of cellular agriculture from conceptualization to commercialization
  • Out of norm thinking for product development that integrates other branches of science, including tissue engineering and cell biology
  • How to utilize your strong background in food science to develop as an experienced food formulation scientist
  • New technologies to assess and measure the quality of novel sustainable seafood products

Impact plan

  • Within 1 month you will have carried out your first experiment of your own, with the support of your mentor. You will start contributing to new product development by obtaining data from your experiments that relate to existing technologies and ingredients. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
  • Within 3 months You will have understood the flow of cultivated seafood and edible scaffolding formulation and development, and you will be carrying out routine activities such as ingredient and formulation screening and sourcing without supervision. You will begin contributing to ideas for process and product improvement.
  • Within 6 months Your skills will have developed to the point where you can independently train new hires on an existing formulation and production processes. Your work will be organized effectively to achieve tasks on time at a high quality. You will have executed your independently designed experiment run with controls, and presented your findings at team research meetings.
  • Within 12 months You will be managing and carrying out multiple experimental runs simultaneously. You will be able to articulate how your work directly impacts the company’s milestones. You will routinely take initiative to research topics independently and volunteer new ideas or approaches.
Compensation range is listed below, in addition we offer 90th percentile equity.

Location: This position is an onsite role based in San Francisco.
Compensation (per year)
$70,000$92,000 USD

To learn more about Wildtype and see our newest updates, check out our blog!

Wildtype is committed to building a diverse workplace spanning multiple dimensions including race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity, and veteran status.