What you’ll be accountable for at Wildtype

• Lead Wildtype’s process development team, including supervising junior scientists and engineers
• Partner with our leadership team to define scale-up plans and work through technical roadblocks
• Lead bioreactor prototype development, installation, and evaluation of new technologies; manage overall bioreactor acquisition and validation plan
• Establish operating procedures consistent with good manufacturing practices in a food context
• Optimize production processes to improve product yields consistent with safety and quality standards
• Transfer bench scale processes through pilot scale, leading to process transfer to commercial scale
• Design, review, execute, and analyze process development experiments ranging from bench through pilot scale, leading to process transfer to commercial scale

How you'll support others

• Provide input to setting Wildtype’s goals and milestones for 2022 and 2023
• Support leaders across the organization through technical problem solving

For this position, you will need

• At least 5 years of hands-on cell-culture bioprocess development and process transfer from bench- to commercial-scale.
• A deep understanding of process variables, such as, Kla, power values as they apply to scaling up/down an efficient process.

What we'd like you to teach us

• Equipment validation to qualify prototype instruments
• Experience developing processes for a wide variety of cell lines
• Creatively applying your previous experience to the development of an entirely novel set of bioprocesses
• Deep experience with a wide range of bioreactor platforms and control systemsHow to work in and lead a diverse, team-based environmentWhat we’ll teach you
• How to apply your experience in large-scale cell culture to the production of next-generation seafood

What we'll teach you

• How to apply your experience in large-scale cell culture to the production of next-generation seafood

Impact plan

• Within 1 month you will have adapted your experience in process development to Wildtype’s unique context. You will have also assumed mentorship responsibilities for at least two more junior scientists and will play an active role in developing the next generation of scientists and engineers at the company. You will have set your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will have assumed responsibility for Wildtype’s process development team including the installation, validation, operation, and maintenance of the company’s fleet of bioreactors. You will have written and operationalized standard procedures consistent with good manufacturing practices for food. You will regularly design and test new equipment as Wildtype continues to scale its production capacity.
• Within 6 months your efforts on R&D over the past six months will have also yielded significant improvements to Wildtype’s production efficiencies. Your leadership responsibilities will expand as our production team grows. You will have trained several new hires and built a high-performing team of production associates and supervisors for our pilot production facility. You will have also defined hiring plans for the next stage of Wildtype’s growth into 2022 and 2023. You will be working closely with our leadership team to set production goals and manage output for Wildtype’s pilot plant.
• Within 12 months you will be overseeing production of cells in the world’s first pilot-scale facility for cell-cultivated seafood. You will be working closely with our facilities and lab managers to ensure adequate stocks of reagents to meet production and R&D cell production demands. You will also be playing a key role in selecting and designing a site for Wildtype’s next production facility.

What you’ll be accountable for at Wildtype

• Develop novel medium formulations
• Perform cell based assays to test the efficacy of medium formulations
• Independently design and manage research projects, and track progress toward milestones
• Carry out experiments; maintain accurate notes; present data

How you'll support others

• Provide input to experimental design, informed by your experimental data

What we'd like you to teach us

• How you apply what you learned in your PhD to conduct hypothesis-driven mechanistic studies
• Better understanding of biochemical pathways and their functional role in growth and viability
• Biochemical and analytical assays to characterize cell metabolism and protein signalling
• A hunger for learning, growth, and being part of a fast-moving, dynamic team

What we'll teach you

• How to apply your academic training in a rapidly growing startup environment

• Functional application of cellular pathways toward development of defined seafood culture medium

• Large-scale cell culture techniques

Impact plan

• Within 1 month you will have internalized team goals, and gained a high level understanding of various scientific techniques as well as workflows. You will have designed and conducted your first cell-based assay on your own, with the support of your scientific mentor. You will have learned some basic process development techniques and will be comfortable carrying out these tasks without supervision. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will be independently leading your first research project. You would have also supported the operation of several bioprocess runs and presented your research findings at the company wide meeting. You will be leading external collaborations with media development partners while providing urgency and active project management support to ensure deadlines are met.
• Within 6 months you will have demonstrated the ability to take a complex project from the rough concept stage to completion. In your interactions with Wildtype’s broader crew, you will actively build community and seek out opportunities to help members on other teams. You will be ready to assume responsibility for multiple complex projects that require breadth and depth of technical competency.
• Within 12 months you will be ready to assume responsibility for major projects at Wildtype such as the continued development of custom cell culture medium for Wildtype’s proprietary cell lines. In doing this, you will prepare and present detailed research plans with prioritization and relevant dependencies in support of company goals. You will be able to enlist support from others in the company (both in terms of personnel and material resources) to see your projects to conclusion. You will be able to visualize where your workstream will be in 6-12 months and work backwards from these outcomes to define detailed work plans. Your crewmates at Wildtype will recognize you as a subject matter expert in medium formulation.

What you will own at Wildtype:

• Produce our current scaffolds with novel cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation cues
• Tissue engineer muscle, fat, and connective tissue, including cell seeding, scaffold stimulation, and harvest to packaging
• Analyze experimental samples by light microscopy, fluorescence-based immunoassays, colorimetric assays, histology, and mechanical assays
• Carry out experiments with the guidance of our scientific leadership maintain accurate notes, present data, be engaged in scaffold rational redesign and experimental planning
• Acquire new skills and integrate new technologies

What we’ll teach you:

• How to apply your tissue engineering skills in the context of next-generation sustainable food production
• Scale up basic tissue engineering techniques to unprecedented volumes
• How to continue growing as a scientist with outside-the-box thinking, creative experimental design, execution, and analysis
• New techniques such as hybrid scaffold fabrication, functional assays, advanced microscopy, molecular biology, and screening methodologies

What you bring to Wildtype:

• 2+ years of mammalian cell culture experience or 1+ years of stem cell culture experience
• Exceptional aseptic technique with a great understanding of the fundamentals of cell culture in 3D scaffolds
• Experience preparing analytical reagents and dilutions
• Experience with molecular biology is a plus
• Experience with mechanical engineering, CAD, 3D printing, nanofiber creation is also a plus
• Comfortable taking notes, writing reports, and performing laboratory-related arithmetic
• Capable of overcoming obstacles/difficulties with a positive attitude; enjoys challenges; proven ability to see goals through to the end
• 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
• Self-starter, willing to take initiative to accomplish key tasks

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 prepare scaffolds and other experimental reagents without supervision. You will have performed a few advanced analyses (including taste tests) 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 tissue engineering lab techniques within Wildtype’s unique context. You will be independently carrying out routine activities such as cell culture, cell seeding, differentiation, and sample analyses without supervision. You will have contributed to the design of several experiments.
• Within 6 months your tissue engineering skills will have developed to the point where you can independently train a new hire on Wildtype’s entire product production 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.

Your work at Wildtype

• Flexible schedule, up to 10 hours per month

• Lead grocery shopping and preparation (including making seasoned sushi rice) for sushi, poke, smoked salmon, and cured salmon dishes (such as ceviche) for tastings with chefs, restaurateurs, investors and partners

• Lead grocery shopping and preparation, as well as assist with food styling, for marketing-oriented photo shoots and events

• Opportunities for occasional travel (not required)

What you bring to the table

• 2+ years making sushi in an upscale sushi restaurant

• Ability to wow diners with preparation and plating techniques

• Ability to source and prepare ingredients in advance of tastings

• Ability to speak to the story behind our product and the dishes you’ve prepared

• Highly skilled, highly dependable, highly reliable