Associate Scientist: Cell Line Establishment

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!

What you will own at Wildtype

• Develop and execute primary cell isolation protocols from sea animals to establish first-in-the-world cell strains
• Isolate different cell types using traditional and novel techniques on never before studied species
• Innovate culture conditions to establish, maintain and promote proliferation of primary cultures indefinitely
• Increase throughput of clonal selection for desired traits
• Analyze, prepare and present data in small group setting with potential to present in larger arena
• Mentor and manage CLE research assistants and associates
• Acquire new skills and apply them to dissections, cell isolations and cell cultures

What you bring to the table

• PhD, OR a MS/MA +3 years of related experience, OR a BS/BA with +4 years of relevant experience with primary cell isolation, preferably from fish and other non-model organisms
• Exceptional aseptic technique with a great understanding of the fundamentals of cell culture and primary cell isolation
• Experience with mammalian, fish, insect, and/or stem cell culture
• Comfortable with independently designing and executing experiments as well as thorough documentation
• Demonstrated ability of drawing from the literature to create new protocols that yielded measurable and meaningful results
• Ability to adhere to tight deadlines, see projects through to the end and willingness to let go projects in pursuit of changing priorities
• Understanding of signaling pathways, HTP assay development and molecular biology a plus
• Resilience in a quickly changing environment, demonstrated perseverance through arduous tasks, courage in unchartered territory
• A hunger for learning, growth, and being part of a fast-moving, dynamic team

What we’ll teach you

• How we pull together to overcome challenges in the face of audacious goals
• How to work with a fast-moving, interdisciplinary team at the leading edge of several fields

Impact plan

• Within 1 month you will have learned Wildtype’s unique dissection techniques and gained a basic understanding of fish cell culture. You will have carried out your own independent dissection experiments with the support from your scientific mentor. You will have begun to read the literature and contribute ideas on how to improve dissection and culture techniques.
• Within 3 months you will have applied and developed your own dissection and cell isolation protocols to increase outgrowth of primary sea animal cells. You will help in organizing procurement of new species. You will work with members of the Cell Line Development team to increase proliferation in cells as various stages of becoming a cell line. You will have contributed to the design of several experiments. You and your mentor will have established professional development goals for the next 6 -9 months.
• Within 6 months you will not only have created unique protocols to increase outgrowth and viability of primary cells, but also have developed culturing methods to challenge and increase longevity of these cells. You will mentor at least one technician or RA and train them to support Wildtype’s CLE efforts. Your work will be organized effectively to achieve tasks on time at a high level of quality. We will ask you for insights and guidance on future development of the CLE team.
• Within 12 months you will have established several cell strains from at least two aquatic species, and provided starting material to the Cell Line Development team. You will have guided technicians or RAs through the intricacies of dissection, primary cell culture, and basic laboratory techniques to the point where they can work independently. We will rely on you to push forward CLE efforts in all aspects from species procurement to cell isolation to proliferation and cryopreservation. You will routinely take the initiative to research topics independently and volunteer new ideas or approaches.