Principal Scientist

About Us:

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian- they are delicious meat, made 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 an innovative, highly motivated, and experienced scientist to join our Bioprocess Development team. This role will be instrumental in developing, optimizing, and scaling upstream and/or downstream processes for the production of cultivated meat. The ideal candidate brings both strong scientific depth and operational expertise, with a proven ability to translate process understanding into robust, scalable manufacturing solutions. This individual will provide technical leadership across process development and drive successful technology transfer to pilot and commercial scales in close partnership with Manufacturing and Engineering. This is a high-impact opportunity for a scientist who thrives at the interface of R&D and Manufacturing, is passionate about scaling complex biological systems, and is motivated to advance the rapidly evolving field of cellular agriculture.

Responsibilities include: 

• Lead end-to-end technology transfer from PD to manufacturing, including transfer strategy, risk assessment, and readiness deliverables.
• Serve as the primary bridge between PD, MSAT, and Manufacturing, ensuring process intent translates into robust, executable operations at scale.
• Drive standardization and scalability of tech transfer frameworks, tools, and best practices across programs.
• Lead cross-functional teams to execute campaigns and resolve on-the-floor technical challenges.
• Oversee investigation and closure of deviations, CAPAs, and planned events with rigorous root cause analysis.
• Monitor and act on process performance and quality trends (e.g., variability, yield, productivity) to drive continuous improvement.
• Identify and implement process and operational improvements to enhance robustness and improve manufacturability.
• Leverage scale-down models and experimental design to troubleshoot issues and de-risk scale-up.
• Communicate technical strategy, risks, and progress clearly to cross-functional stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Manage project timelines, resources, and team development to ensure successful delivery of tech transfer milestones. 

About you:

• PhD in chemical engineering, bioengineering, or related scientific discipline with 6+ years, or MS/BS with 10-12+ years, of relevant industry experience in bioprocess development, MSAT, or manufacturing support.
• Deep expertise in bioprocess scale-up and technology transfer, including upstream cell culture systems and associated unit operations.
• Demonstrated leadership in technical and/or manufacturing-facing functions, with the ability to influence across PD, MSAT, Manufacturing, and Engineering.
• Proven track record of executing complex, cross-functional programs in GMP or GMP-like environments.
• Strong working knowledge of large-scale bioreactor platforms (e.g., SUB, stainless steel) and control systems (e.g., DeltaV or equivalent).
• Strong systems thinker with the ability to translate process understanding into robust, scalable manufacturing strategies.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of prioritizing in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Effective communicator with the ability to distill complex technical topics for diverse audiences, including senior leadership.
• Comfortable operating in an on-the-floor support model, including off-hours coverage when needed to support manufacturing operations.
• Proactive, ownership-driven mindset with a bias toward problem solving, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.

Who you’ll work with:

• You’ll operate at the interface of PD, MSAT, and Manufacturing, partnering closely with Cell Line, Media, and Food R&D to translate process intent into scalable operations.
• You’ll collaborate with Manufacturing and Engineering to execute tech transfer, and with Analytical, Data, Automation, and IT teams to enable robust monitoring, control, and data-driven decision making.
• Success in this role requires strong cross-functional leadership to align teams and deliver reliable, scalable manufacturing outcomes.

Compensation Range: $185,000-210,000*

*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits! 

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 84-100% 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 company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.