Full-Time

Research Associate - Plant Physiology/Biochemistry

Posted on 10/31/2025

Plantible Foods

Plantible Foods

11-50 employees

B2B plant-based protein ingredients from lemna

No salary listed

Oceanside, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Biology & Biotech (2)
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Requirements
  • BS in Biological Sciences/Plant Physiology with 2+ years of experience in an industry setting or MS in Plant Biology/Plant Physiology with up to 1+ years of experience in an industry setting
  • Previous lab and field experience with growing plants, measuring physiological parameters, and performing basic molecular biology and biochemistry techniques
  • An understanding of biotic and abiotic factors that affect biomass productivity and knowledge of plant metabolic processes
  • Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills
  • Excellent time management and organizational skills
  • Ability to thrive in a startup lab environment
  • Ability to learn quickly, solve complex problems and have excellent data analysis skills
  • Being a self-starter and able to respond creatively and simply to continuous change and steady growth environment
  • Team player spirit and an open mind to contribute towards company goals
  • Willingness to travel for 25% and possibly up to, but no more than, 50% of the year for work
Responsibilities
  • Design, execute, and analyze lab and field experiments to improve the quality and quantity of our plant protein and to increase biomass productivity
  • Use SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and enzyme activity assays to measure the quality and quantity of target proteins present in duckweed
  • Measure physiological processes of duckweed
  • Use molecular biology techniques to genotype duckweed strains
  • Determine abiotic and biotic effects on duckweed growth
  • Use microscopy to characterize duckweed anatomy

Plantible Foods produces a plant-based protein ingredient called Rubi Protein for other food makers. It grows lemna, an aquatic plant, in its own aqua-farms to create a scalable, sustainable protein that is free from major allergens and has a neutral taste and color. The product is sold as an ingredient to food manufacturers for use in baked goods, plant-based meats, dairy alternatives, and nutritional supplements, enabling them to formulate new or improved plant-based products without worrying about allergen issues. The company differentiates itself by controlling its supply chain through in-house aquafarming and by delivering a neutral, versatile protein that can be incorporated across many product categories. Its goal is to meet increasing demand for sustainable, healthy foods by expanding production capacity and broadening its customer base among B2B food manufacturers.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$73.7M

Headquarters

San Marcos, California

Founded

2016

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Chipotle and Betagro $30M Series B fuel Texas expansion and Asia entry.
  • Rubi Whisk egg replacer outperforms eggs in baked goods and pasta.
  • Eldorado facility operational, plans triple capacity with new strains.

What critics are saying

  • Living Ink undercuts Rubi pricing 20-30%, erodes B2B contracts.
  • Every Company pea protein displaces lemna in baked goods market.
  • Egg stabilization cuts Rubi Whisk demand 60% post-avian flu.

What makes Plantible Foods unique

  • Rubi Protein from lemna offers neutral taste, 85% protein, and complete amino acids.
  • FDA GRAS clearance first for isolated RuBisCO in food applications.
  • Aqua-farms use 10x less water than soybeans, no arable land needed.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

401(k) Retirement Plan

Relocation Assistance

Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

2%
The Associated Press
Feb 19th, 2026
FDA clears Plantible's RuBisCO protein for commercial use in first for sustainable food ingredient

Plantible Foods has received a "No Questions" letter from the FDA regarding its GRAS notice for Rubi Protein, making it the first company to gain FDA acknowledgment for isolated RuBisCO protein in food applications. The regulatory milestone clears the way for large-scale commercial adoption. Rubi Protein is derived from water lentils grown in enclosed greenhouses and contains approximately 85% protein by weight. The ingredient offers neutral taste, high solubility and strong emulsification properties, suitable for baked goods, beverages, dairy alternatives and plant-based products. Plantible opened its first commercial facility in Eldorado, Texas, last year and plans to expand capacity to meet growing customer demand. The San Diego-based company was founded by Tony Martens and Maurits van de Ven.

AgFunderNews
Aug 12th, 2025
Plantible Foods seeks funding to expand

Plantible Foods' first commercial facility in Eldorado, Texas, is now fully operational, extracting RuBisCO protein from lemna (duckweed). After securing $30 million in Series B funding last year, the company seeks additional financing to triple its current capacity of thousands of metric tons of biomass annually. An upgraded protein filtration system and a proprietary high-yield lemna strain have been introduced to enhance cash flow positivity, according to CEO Tony Martens.

FinSMEs
Jan 16th, 2025
Chipotle Invests in Plantible's Growth

Chipotle Mexican Grill has invested in Plantible, a San Marcos, CA-based company developing plant-based protein. The investment amount was not disclosed. Plantible plans to use the funds to expand its operations and development efforts. The company produces Rubi protein™ from Lemna, aiming to offer a cleaner, healthier, and allergen-friendly alternative to animal-based proteins and synthetic ingredients.

PR Newswire
Dec 11th, 2024
Elemental Impact Injects $18.6M Into Climate Technologies Creating Jobs And Local Economic Impact

Non-profit's strategic investment tackles the funding gap between climate innovation and widespread adoption.HONOLULU and SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Elemental Impact , a leading non-profit technology investor, announced today $18.6 million in investments across 16 companies deploying projects in Texas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado, Tennessee, and international markets.This announcement is part of the non-profit's larger investing strategy that includes initial investments to build a pipeline of critical climate companies and projects, follow-on funding to promising projects with local impact, and the newly announced Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) program for later-stage commercialized technologies, for which investments are expected to be announced in the new year.These investments represent one of the many ways Elemental continues to tackle the $150B "Scale Gap," a critical challenge and funding shortfall climate companies face during first-of-a-kind (FOAK) and early commercial deployments. While these technologies have proven their potential, this funding gap often results in a lack of necessary capital to scale up these innovations, creating a barrier to the widespread adoption."We are seeing extraordinary demand for capital from entrepreneurs who are ready to scale, but who face a critical funding gap," said Dawn Lippert, CEO of Elemental Impact. "These 16 new investments prove that philanthropy can enable projects in rural towns, Tribal lands, urban areas, and wild ecosystems -- and unlock significant private investment."After vetting more than 7,000 companies this year, Elemental selected companies representing four emerging themes: accelerating the next era of U.S. manufacturing, building a resilient supply chain, strengthening rural and tribal access, and scaling a regenerative food system. They will now join a portfolio of more than 160 companies that have created over 10,000 jobs, all working to scale their solutions and create meaningful economic benefits in local communities

Techsauce
Nov 26th, 2024
BETAGRO Ventures Invests $30M in Plantible

BETAGRO Ventures, part of Betagro Public Company Limited, announced a successful $30 million Series B investment in Plantible, a U.S.-based biotech company specializing in plant-based proteins. The investment aims to expand Plantible's production capacity in Texas and increase its revenue tenfold within 12 months. This strategic partnership will leverage Plantible's Rubi Protein® to meet high-quality nutritional demands in Southeast Asia, aligning with Betagro's sustainable food goals.

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