Job description
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!
Responsibilities
- Develop and test media formulations to support robust animal cell growth to high culture densities
- Analyze and quantify media components and metabolic by-products; adjust media recipes to optimize material input and by-product output
- Use statistical and DOE methods to screen ingredients and recipes for established and new cell lines
- Work with the product development team to create formulations that support large-scale high cell density cultures
- Collaborate with Wildtype's cell biology teams to characterize relevant metabolic pathways for targeted efficiency improvements
- Design, execute and analyze experiments; concisely report results and implications to the team.
About You
- MS with 2+ years of relevant experience or PhD in related life science discipline (e.g. Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or Biophysics)
- A strong record of productivity with impactful scientific publications and a track record of effective collaboration in complex projects
- 3+ years of experience in animal cell cultures; excellent aseptic technique is a must
- Expert with demonstrated knowledge of nutritional requirements for cell culture.
- Experience using statistics and DOE in experimental methods
- Must have strong organizational skills; able to prioritize and manage time and resources with respect to project timelines.
- Growth mindset, curiosity, ability to learn quickly and communicate effectively.
- Preferred, but not required: prior demonstrated expertise in media development, in molecular biology; use of automation (e.g. liquid handling robot) in experimental set up; experience working with microbioreactors or bench scale bioreactors; analytical chemistry;
Impact plan
- Within 1 month you'll have carried out your first experiment on your own, with the support of your scientific mentor. We'll rely on you to prepare media and other experimental reagents without supervision. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
- Within 3 months you will have mastered basic lab techniques within Wildtype's unique context. You will be independently carrying out routine cell culture activities such as media changes, passaging, expansion, freeze/thaw without supervision. You will have contributed to the design of several experiments.
- Within 6 months your cell culture skills will have developed to the point where you can independently train a new hire on Wildtype's entire cell culture process. Your work will be organized effectively to achieve tasks on time at a high level of quality. You will have executed your first independently designed experiment with controls and presented your findings at a company-wide research meeting.
- Within 12 months you'll be managing and carrying out multiple experiments simultaneously. You will be able to articulate how your work directly impacts the company's milestones. You will routinely take the initiative to research topics independently and volunteer new ideas or approaches.
Location: This position is an onsite role based in San Francisco.
Compensation (per year)
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.