Back to jobs
New

Scientist I, Discovery & Platform Innovation

Emeryville, CA

About Us

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.

UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised more than $600 million in funding from a diverse group of leading U.S. and global investors, including top-tier venture capital firms, sovereign investment funds, strategic food and agriculture partners, and prominent technology and sustainability investors.

About This Job

We are seeking a high-agency bench scientist to architect our next frontier. As a Scientist I, you will be at the heart of our laboratory operations, thriving on the "blank page" stage of research. This role is built for a visionary "finisher"—someone who has the grit to drive deep fundamental science into scalable, revenue-generating commercial products through hands-on experimentation. 

Job Description

As a Scientist I in the Discovery group, you will take full ownership of laboratory-based research programs, transforming ambitious hypotheses into validated technologies and high-value cellular derivatives. You will innovate "out-of-the-box" to solve non-traditional biological hurdles using sophisticated genome engineering/cell biology/cell culture media strategies. Your work will bridge the digital-physical divide by implementing digital pipelines for automated data capture, ensuring discovery is efficient and data-rich.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Drive Bench-Scale Discovery: Transform ambitious hypotheses into validated technologies and high-value cellular derivatives.
  • Hands-on Innovation: Perform cell line development and tissue engineering using cutting edge technologies.
  • Multi-Omics Characterization: Integrate metabolomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to characterize cell states.
  • AI Integration: Create and utilize AI-augmented workflows to predict biological outcomes and accelerate the DBTL cycle.
  • Pipeline Automation: Implement digital pipelines for automated data capture to ensure discovery is data-rich.
  • Technical Mentorship: Act as a technical resource and subject matter expert for the R&D group with opportunities to mentor junior staff.

Who You'll Work With

In this role, you will be a key pillar of our Discovery team. While you will spend much of your time developing cell-based technologies and running experiments, you will serve as a vital technical resource for the broader R&D group. You will mentor junior scientific staff and collaborate closely with digital and computational teams to integrate AI and automation into our discovery pipeline.

About You

  • Academic Pedigree: PhD in Molecular/Cell Biology or a related field, supported by a strong record of peer-reviewed publications or patents.
  • Hands-on "Finisher": You are a dedicated bench scientist with a proven track record of navigating the ambiguity of early-stage discovery and driving projects from concept to completion.
  • Technical Mastery: Expert in advanced molecular biology, cellular assays, genome engineering (CRISPR/Cas9), and mammalian cell biology.
  • Systems Biology & Omics: Hands-on experience generating and interpreting large-scale datasets, experience on metabolomics and transcriptomics preferred.
  • Computational Fluency: Proficient in using Python, R, or AI-driven tools to automate data pipelines and extract patterns from complex biological noise.
  • Mindset: Driven by scientific accuracy over ego; you are a self-starter who prefers creating new protocols over following existing ones.

Bonus Points:

  • Experience with secretome analysis or specialized cellular products.
  • Background in tissue engineering or specialized serum-free media development.
  • Prior experience in a high-growth biotech startup environment.

Compensation Range: $100,000 - 125,000

  • Pay may vary depending on factors including location, job-related knowledge, and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

  • Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
  • 83-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
  • Pet insurance for your furry family members!
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

 

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our goal is to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at UPSIDE Foods? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in UPSIDE Foods’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.