Scientist, Medium Formulation Development

VitroLabs, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Milpitas California, is a biotech company developing a scalable tissue engineering platform for the efficient and environmentally friendly production of leather from only a few cells.  Combining advanced tissue engineering processes with proprietary advances to achieve commercial scale, VitroLabs is on a mission to produce cell cultivated leather that achieves the look, feel and performance of traditional leather without compromise. The composition of the material achieves the complexity of traditional hides without the need to go to animals as an ongoing source of hides. The process is more environmentally sustainable and favorable for animal welfare than that which is used to produce traditional leather.

About the role:

As a Medium Formulation Development Scientist, you will develop and apply cell-based assays towards the development and optimization of cell culture medium formulations. Your work will impact all of Research & Product Development and is essential to the growth and functionality of VitroLabs’ cells and our ability to create and scale an ethical, cost-effective product. Reporting within the Cell Biology Team, you will design and execute cell-based experiments and collaborate with both external groups and other internal teams to holistically address a fundamental component of our product.

About You:

You are inspired by VitroLabs’ mission and want to use your skills to positively impact and optimize a component central to the production of our product. You have experience culturing animal cells and applying them towards cell-based assays. You have demonstrated success with developing hypotheses, experiments and methods to test them, analyzing data, and consistently iterating therein. You are excited to work in a startup environment where you will have the opportunity to create and share ideas, data, and results that contribute to a novel, impactful product.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and optimization of medium formulations by routinely planning, preparing, and executing animal cell culture experiments
• Develop assays, which will inform about the performance of medium formulations
• Contribute to the reduction of research, development, and manufacturing costs by investigating strategies for cost-reduction and identifying options that can be transferred to scalable systems
• Independently analyze, interpret, and report on experimental outcomes; use this information to iterate and create process improvements
• Collaborate with other internal groups to investigate solutions for key initiatives such as cost-reduction and scale-up
• Effectively communicate hypotheses, experimental plans, and results to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Facilitate partnerships with outside groups and vendors for collaborative research opportunities and material or equipment evaluation and acquisition
• Participate in general laboratory maintenance including routine laboratory cleaning and inventory management

Qualifications & Skills:

• Equivalent of five or more years experience* independently applying the scientific method to plan and further the specific aims of technical projects involving in vitro experiments
• Strong experiences with the development and application of cell-based assays, including but not limited to: immunocytochemistry, qPCR, western blots, flow cytometry, ELISAs, FISH
• Extensive experience with animal, especially mammalian, cells and cell culture
• Excellent aseptic technique
• Experience with the preparation, organization, and storage of cell culture media and reagents therein

*At VitroLabs, we understand that those who are courageous enough to make the bold moves and run with the "crazy" ideas are the folks who drive innovation and enable us to accomplish our mission. There is no specific pathway that makes you a fit for this role, but rather your resilience, tenacity, and constant curiosity.

If you want to collaborate with us and know you can help make a product that will change the planet for the better, we want to hear from you.

Compensation:

• $114,000-155,000 annually

Benefits

• 90-100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental care
• Flexible Spending Account/ Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Basic Life insurance & Long Term Disability insurance
• Commuter benefits
• 401K (Employer matching)

Perks

• Onsite employer sponsored lunches (3 days each week)
• Fully stocked kitchen (snacks responsibly sourced)
• Team happy hours and regularly scheduled table tennis, foosball, and cornhole matches

DISCLAIMER:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the functions, responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position, and VitroLabs Inc retains the discretion to modify functions, responsibilities, duties and skills at any time, including modifying the time devoted to such activities, deleting activities and assigning other activities.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

VitroLabs Inc is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities without regard to race, color, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.