Scientist - Bioprocess Development

At Umami Meats, we are pioneering cultivated, 'not caught' seafood by developing the production system for delicious, nutritious, and affordable cultivated fish, starting with IUCN Red Listed species that are difficult to farm and being driven extinct by human consumption. We are partnering with food producers to scale our cultivated seafood production system to provide people around the world with a stable, resilient, local supply of seafood free from mercury, antibiotics, microplastics, and ocean pollutants.

We’re on a mission to empower humanity to eat sustainably without sacrifice. We believe the only way to change how the majority of the world eats meat and seafood is to create real seafood - the most delicious, healthiest seafood available - without the environmental and animal welfare consequences of our current practices.

We’re a venture-backed biotech startup located in Singapore where some of the world’s smartest, most passionate people are pioneering a sustainable food future that is attractive and accessible to people around the world. We are united by our collective drive to ask tough questions, take on challenging problems, and apply cutting-edge science and engineering to create a better future for humanity. At Umami Meats, you will be encouraged to dream big and will have the freedom to create, invent, and do the best, most impactful work of your career.

Umami Meats is looking to hire an inquisitive, innovative, and independent Scientist to join our Bioprocess team in Singapore.

In this role, you will be responsible for leading the process development of cultivated fish cell culture scale-up, from static and small-scale dynamic culture to 500+ L. This will require experimental design, wet-lab work, and data analysis for cell proliferation at increasing scale. Successful candidates will be expected to drive upstream process development activities, develop and clearly communicate requirements to inputs teams, and will bring expertise in operating scale-down bioreactors, developing optimized bioprocesses, and scaling process from bench to pilot.

You will work directly with other members of our small but growing team to do cutting-edge science and will have the autonomy to test new ideas and identify better ways to do things.

Responsibilities

• Design and set up a bioreactor lab, including coordinating with vendors to qualify and procure bioreactors and supporting equipment
• Perform experimental screening of bioprocess approaches at bench-scale to establish optimal processes and operating modes in line with future commercialization targets
• Develop robust, iterative scale-down processes to maximize yield and process efficiency at benchtop (<10L) scale
• Define key process parameters for scale-up and develop analytical methods for continuous process monitoring and control
• Collaborate with other teams and members of the bioprocess group on the development and implementation of robust and scalable bioprocesses for pilot production and technology transfer for GMP manufacturing
• Align with senior leadership to implement critical decisions
• Lead co-development partnerships to drive shared process development goals
• Conduct rigorous experimental design, documentation, and data analysis
• Provide concise and effective reporting on project deliverables and presentation of data
• Evaluate processes and assumptions for potential improvements to efficiency and manufacturability, providing creative solutions to challenging technical problems

About You

Experience

• M.S. or PhD in a relevant field (Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Cell Biology, or equivalent
• 5+ years of industry experience (MS) or 3+ years of industry experience (PhD) in biotechnology, cell manufacturing or a relevant engineering field
• 2+ years of direct experience in lab to mid-scale (50-500L) animal cell culture in a process development environment
• Experience with batch and fed-batch cell culture is essential; intensified or continuous process experience is a plus
• Tech transfer experience is preferred
• Experience with scale-down model development, predictive modeling, and model validation is a plus
• Experience with high-throughput, parallel bioreactor systems and automation is a plus
• Track record of successfully leading small teams is strongly preferred
• Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications is preferred
• Demonstrated scientific rigor toward continuous improvement

Desired technical skills

• Proficiency with Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology for bioprocess development, including experiment design and data analysis
• Proficiency in engineering techniques, including quantitative modeling and mass balance
• Basic scripting in relevant languages such as Python, R, SQL, etc.
• Familiarity with mammalian metabolic pathways and proficiency in metabolic flux analysis is a plus
• Understanding of a range of analytical chemistry techniques necessary to support process development
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and skills to prioritize and deliver against timelines
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong command of the English language