Senior Scientist – Fungal Strain Engineer, Chicago
Senior Scientist - Fungal Strain Engineer, Chicago
Aqua Cultured Foods is an innovative food technology company disrupting the alternative protein space with the world’s first whole-muscle cut seafood alternatives created through the process of microbial fermentation. Our novel technology produces a sustainable complete protein source using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. As our global challenges with overfishing, climate change and feeding the world’s expanding population grows, our mission is to create delicious, nutrient-rich foods to feed our growing population and protect our oceans. Join our team and your contributions will make an impactful difference.
We are actively seeking a seasoned, passionate, driven, and ambitious Senior Scientist: Fungal Strain Engineer to join us as a full-time team member.
Position Summary
We are recruiting an experienced Senior Scientist: Fungal Strain Engineer to join our team. The successful candidate will serve as the resident technical expert on microbiology of filamentous fungi. They will also define and deduce optimal mechanical properties for the eating quality and nutritional profile of myriad seafood products (squid, shrimp, finfish, etc).
This is a high impact position within a fast-paced and growing company. Individuals with hands-on experience and technical acumen to drive research projects from ideation-to-commercialization are encouraged to apply.
Job Responsibilities
- Develop and implement strain improvement strategies for producing proteins, and for engineering strains which will become the workhorse for protein production at commercial scale
- Performing hands-on experiments aimed at defining filamentous fungal nutrient requirements and optimization
- Develop productive working relationships with scientists within the department, and other colleagues across R&D and non-R&D departments within the organization
- Understand and design strategies for regulating protein secretory pathways to optimize our organism’s abilities to overexpress desired proteins
- Other desired skills include excellent communication, ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and good aptitude for data analysis and documentation
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific and intellectual literature
- Prepare and present technical reports, data summaries, protocols and other technical and regulatory documentations
- Participate in developing the intellectual property strategy and drafting patent applications in collaboration with peers and the legal team
- Provide data-driven insights to solve technical challenges and make decisions
Job Requirements
These skills and experiences will be required or useful for the candidate:
- PhD in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Chemical Engineering or a related technical field with 2-8 years of related experience
- Strong technical background in strain engineering of filamentous fungus through classical mutagenesis and genetic engineering approaches
- Strong background in developing novel high throughput techniques for culturing and screening strain libraries
- Technical expert in developing and optimizing growth conditions and propagation of filamentous fungi
- Experience in leading and training research associates and/or other scientists
- Comfortable working in a start-up environment
LOCATION
Selected candidate will work on-site with our team in the Chicago Office. Remote work is not available for this role.
COMPANY BENEFITS
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, healthcare and 401K with company match.
NEXT STEPS:
To express your interest, please provide a short cover letter telling us why you’re perfect for this role, along with a resume detailing your experience. Please send to info@aquaculturedfoods or apply to our Linkedin post
Qualified Applicants will not require employer sponsored work authorization now or in the future for employment in the United States.
At Aqua Cultured Foods, we are committed to building a diverse, respectful and inclusive workforce. We take being an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer seriously and do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability (in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act), or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.
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