Associate Scientist: Scaffold Integration

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

• Optimize cell differentiation phenotypes to improve impact in the taste and texture of next-generation products
• Apply your knowledge in protein-polysaccharide biochemistry and cellular microenvironments to manipulate scaffold mechanical properties and biocompatibility in our novel scaffolds
• Analyze the development of 3D tissue cultures using light/fluorescent/confocal microscopy, molecular biology assays, or mechanical assays
• Carry out experiments with minimal guidance, maintain accurate notes, and present data
• Mentor associates to develop experience and intuition in tissue engineering principles
• Acquire new skills and integrate new technologies

What you bring to Wildtype

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Polymer/Materials Science, Bioengineering or a related field; OR M.S. in the above fields plus 2+ years’ experience from relevant industries (such as food, pharmaceutical, biochemical, medical device);
• Knowledge or prior experience in ONE of the following fields, or more is a plus:
•  Experience in fabricating 3D scaffolds for tissue culture (plant-based scaffolds is a plus);
•  Experience in 3D tissue analysis, including microscopy (confocal/EM/etc.) or molecular biology assays;
•  Experience in characterizing and optimizing protein chemistry, especially plant proteins;
•  Experience in culturing and differentiating muscle, fat, and/or bone tissue (2 years+);

• Comfortable at taking experimental notes, keeping laboratory records and writing technical reports;
• Capable of overcoming technical obstacles/difficulties with a positive attitude - enjoys scientific and engineering challenges;
• A hunger for learning, growth, and being part of a fast-moving, dynamic team
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organization skills
• Able to learn quickly and excel in a fast-paced work environment
• Be a self-starter willing to take the initiative to accomplish key tasks and explore new ideas

What we’ll teach you

• How to apply your tissue engineering experience in the context of next-generation sustainable food production, scaling up fabrication to unprecedented volumes
• Develop next-generation scaffolds and bioreactors to make whole cuts of meat using Wildtype’s proprietary technologies
• Further optimize how our cells contribute to taste and texture
• How to continue growing as a scientist with outside-the-box thinking, creative experimental design, execution, and analysis

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 maintain cell cultures and prepare various types of scaffolds for experiments without supervision. You will have performed a few analyses on the samples you have produced. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will have mastered basic scaffold preparation techniques and cell culture protocols within Wildtype’s unique context. You will be independently carrying out routine activities such as sample preparation and analyses without supervision. You will have started to contribute to the re-design/formulation of next-generation tissue scaffolds.

• Within 6 months your tissue engineering skills and understanding of cell-scaffold interactions will have developed to the point where you can independently train a new hire on Wildtype’s entire cell integration 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.

The hiring range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000 per year, plus 90th percentile equity.

Location: this position is an onsite role based in San Francisco.

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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.