Sr. Scientist - Microbiology/Physiology

About Motif

Motif FoodWorks is a food-technology company working to make plant-based foods better tasting, more nutritious and so desirable that people actually crave them. The company's mission is to unleash the promise of plant-based foods by taking a new, holistic approach to ingredient development that combines science and technology - merged with sensory fundamentals - to reveal totally new answers. By radically changing our understanding of plant-based food, Motif will enable crave-worthy products that exceed taste and experience expectations, unlocking benefits for everyone and our planet.

About the role

Ready to be part of something really big? We are looking for a highly motivated Sr. Scientist - Microbiology/Physiology to contribute on all aspects of microbial fermentation optimization, strain physiology studies, and process development for protein fermentation, extraction, separation and purification.

The ideal candidate will be self-directed, highly collaborative and enjoy working with a team in a fast-paced startup environment, while bringing his/her experience, expertise and innovative ideas.

Responsibilities

• Design, lead and conduct studies aimed at improving fermentation metrics through application of physiological principles and data analysis, while aligning the process conditions with the constraints of large-scale manufacturing.
• Conduct bench scale fermentation and microbial experiment in lab for strain evaluations and protocol development.
• Support project leads to design and conduct studies aimed at improving processing metrics for intracellular and secretion products, including fermentation and DSP areas
• Support technical transfer between lab, pilot and manufacture facilities.
• Contribute to continuous improvement efforts on production optimization and process development.
• Communicate outcomes of studies, recommendations, and next steps to R&D Leadership.

Requirements

• PhD with 3+ years of experience.
• Field of study: Microbiology, Physiology, Biological Engineering, or related areas.
• Experience in aerobic microbial fermentation and metabolic pathway studies is required.
• Pilot or plant experience with protein fermentation and purification is helpful.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with both technical and non-technical personnel.

Leadership Capabilities

• Highly motivated, excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, and able to multitask in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities
• Demonstrate a high degree of dedication and ownership of research projects
• Proven ability to work independently and effectively plan and organize work activities and prioritize task completion to meet schedules and deadlines
• Hands-on approach, willingness to be tenacious, dive into details to help support and improve projects
• Excellent analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills

Culture Fit & Impact

• Understands how to work in a rapidly growing start-up
• Able to deal effectively with ambiguity and changing priorities
• Thrives under pressure and desires to learn and grow
• Mission-driven and interested in transforming the food industry

Travel

Must be willing to travel up to 20% of time when necessary

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