New Culture · 2 weeks ago
Research Associate, Fermentation [Contract 6 months]
San Leandro, CA
Full-time, Contract
Onsite
Entry Level
$77K/yr - $95K/yr
1+ years expNew Culture is a Bay Area-based, venture-backed startup focused on creating sustainable dairy alternatives. They are seeking a Research Associate in Fermentation to plan and execute fermentation experiments, optimize processes, and collaborate with team members to advance their innovative cheese production methods.
Food and Beverage
Hiring Manager
Scott Chi
Responsibilities
Plan and execute benchtop fermentation experiments independently for strain validation, process development, and media optimization
Prepare necessary media and stock solutions for fermentation experiments
Setup, sterilize, clean benchtop bioreactors, and perform routine maintenance if necessary
Monitor fermentation through sampling, checking online parameters, and offline measurements
Collect samples and perform routine biochemical assays and analysis
Analyze fermentation data, write summary reports, and present project results in team meetings
Maintain fermentation run indexes and records
Identify potential improvements to the fermentation processes and design experiments necessary to justify process changes
Troubleshoot, communicate, and collaborate with other team members to resolve equipment and process issues as they arise in the operation of bioreactors and lab equipment
Perform downscaled (shake flask, microwell plate, Biolector) experiments to help optimize process parameters and media components
Ensure alignment with other areas of science such as microbiology and downstream processing
Develop and maintain SOPs
Maintain safe practices and work environment
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Microbiology, Bioprocess Engineering, Chemical or Biochemical Engineering, or related field with 1-3 years of relevant industry or academic experience
Ability to correlate microbial physiology with process performance in the bioreactors
Willingness to work with a flexible schedule
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs (e.g., carboys of media)
Ability to work standing up for up to 4hrs at a time
Ability to deliver high-quality work under constraints of time and budget
Ability to work closely in a team of interdisciplinary and intercultural individuals
Preferred
Hands-on experience with various types of fermentation processes (batch, fed-batch, continuous; aerobic and anaerobic), fermentation equipment and scale, control and analysis software
Experience with data visualization and analysis tools such as Python, SpotFire, R, and/or JMP
Prior involvement with startups and/or small businesses
Company
New Culture
New Culture is a food and beverage company that focuses on revolutionizing how cheese is made.
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
New Culture has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2024 (3)
2021 (1)
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$28.5MKey Investors
CJ CheilJedang Corp.Evolv Ventures
2022-11-03Corporate Round
2021-11-22Series A· $25M
2020-07-14Seed
Leadership Team
Matt Gibson
CEO/Co-founder
Inja Radman
Co-founder & CSO/CTO
Recent News
FoodHack Weekly
2025-03-14
2025-02-07
2025-02-07
Company data provided by crunchbase