Scientist, Analytical R&D (6 month fixed-term)

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>About us:</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised more than $600 million in funding from a diverse group of leading U.S. and global investors, including top-tier venture capital firms, sovereign investment funds, strategic food and agriculture partners, and prominent technology and sustainability investors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong><br>About this job:</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">UPSIDE Foods is seeking an innovative, enthusiastic, and experienced <strong>Scientist, Analytical R&amp;D (6 month fixed-term)</strong>&nbsp;to join our Analytical Research and Development (ARD) team in support of Lucius Labs and Upside Foods. In this role, you will be responsible for the end-to-end development, optimization, validation, and tech transfer of high-impact analytical assays necessary for routine operations.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This is a fast-paced, laboratory-based role requiring strong method development expertise in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), spectroscopy, and rapid bioanalytical assays.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong><br>Responsibilities include:</strong></span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Execute and optimize sample preparation, method development, validation studies, data analysis and reporting to expand our assay portfolio with a focus on high-throughput.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Onboard and validate new bioanalytical assays.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Onboard, oversee, and maintain analytical instrumentation.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Document all laboratory activities and write standard operating procedures for new and updated methods.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Train junior team members to execute the assays for routine analysis.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Survey literature to understand current state-of-the-art scientific technologies and practices and make recommendations for instrumentation, methods, and workflows to achieve analytical objectives.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Serve as a subject matter expert for analytical chemistry topics to assist in collaborative problem solving.</span></li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>About you:</strong></span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Education &amp; Experience:</strong> Ph.D. in Chemistry (preferably with a focus on Analytical and/or Food Chemistry) or related field or M.S. with 4+ years of industry experience specializing in rapid method development and validation.&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Mass Spectrometry Expertise:</strong> Deep hands-on experience with LC-MS instrumentation and sample handling, including developing robust multi-analyte gradients.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Spectroscopy &amp; Bioassay Experience:</strong> Proven experience building spectral libraries with FTIR and/or RAMAN instrumentation, overcoming matrix inhibition/enhancement is highly preferred.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Matrix Familiarity:</strong> Strong background working with complex matrices, cell culture media, or food/biomass matrices. Experience working with micro-sampling or small-volume extractions is a plus.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Collaboration:</strong> Strong communication skills with a track record of successfully executing tech transfers and training laboratory personnel.</span></li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Who you’ll work with:</strong></span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Primary Team:</strong> You will report to and work closely with the Analytical Research &amp; Development (ARD) team.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Cross-Functional Partners:</strong> Collaborate heavily with permanent staff at Lucius Labs, as well as , raw materials, cell culture media, upstream development and production teams.&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Key contributions:</strong></span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bioanalytical assay method development incorporating LC-MS/MS and FTIR&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Design and execute experiments for quantitative analytical testing.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Mentor junior team members&nbsp;</span><br><br></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Compensation Range: </strong>$120,000-$145,000</span><br><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.</em></span><br><br></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>UPSIDE Benefits!</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">83-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Pet insurance for your furry family members!</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Unlimited PTO</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Employee Engagement Council</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Company-sponsored learning &amp; development opportunities</span></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.</em></span></p>