Join our team!

California Cultured is seeking an Associate Scientist to join its team in Davis, California. The ideal candidate will be a problem solver, natural relationship-builder, and highly organized contribute to the development of our cell & media technology. The ideal candidate will have a background in biotechnology and will report directly to our Lead Scientist.

Duties include:

• Manage experiment preparation, media development, growing, maintaining, and characterizing plant cell cultures.

• Complete critical research projects plant cell engineering and gene expression of lipids and target molecules.

• Perform tissue culture, genetic engineering, and molecular biology work.

• Design and execute experiments to characterize and assess critical quality attributes of cell culture samples.

• Assist and execute experiments to determine product applications of cultured cell lines, as determined by Lead Scientist.

• Analyze data, develop conclusions, and make recommendations in support of molecular biology, cell culture, and process/product development efforts.

• Troubleshoot technical, experimental, and operational issues as necessary.

• Participate in the design and build-out of analytical capabilities based on strategic goals of the R&D organization.

• Develop, maintain, and follow standard operating procedures.

• Prepare and present project updates, reports and reviews of scientific literature.

• Develop technical and project planning expertise relevant to plant cell culture by attending courses/trainings, assisting Lead Scientist with research program development, and attending management discussions.

• Train new lab personnel on cell culture maintenance, media preparation, and common lab SOPs.

• Assist in setting yearly goals for research associates with Human Resources

• Train & assist on cell banking and cell retrieving

• Train & assist on project planning for cell screening

About You

• Experience with plant cell culture, media development, and data collection

• Master’s degree in related field (preferred).

• Strong communication and organization skills.

• High level of competence in the supervision of technical staff and implementation of safety requirements and skills.

• Ability to function in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision.

California Cultured is looking to add a Cell Selection Technician to our team to help with production lab work. The ideal candidate would have 1-3 years of industry experience with sterile technique and sterile culture transfers. This person should be comfortable working in a team environment and should have strong communication and data recording skills. This position will report to the Bioprocessing Engineer Lead and interact with the Analytic and Cell Bio teams.

Duties include:

• Use sterile technique to transfer plant cultures

• Accurate samples preparation

• Accurate data recording and compliance documentation

• General lab support duties

• Perform routine maintenance on equipment as requested

• General laboratory sanitation including monthly deep cleanings

• Adherence to project goals and SOPs

• Regular communication with adjacent teams and supervisors

• Follow all instructed safety precautions and regulations

• Occasional cross-training and backup stand-in duties

• Ownership of assigned work tasks

About You

• Familiarity with plant tissue culture

• In-depth knowledge of sterile technique

• Production focused mindset

• Safety-conscious

• Able to work in a lab setting while wearing appropriate PPE

• Deliberative communicator

• A detailed approach to work

• Cautious decision maker

About the Position

• This is a production position

• Work week is typically a four day week

• Team focused work schedules and timetables

• Work is repetitive in nature placing emphasis on ergonomics

• Brief standardized communications with adjacent teams

Today, major companies are incentivizing the clear-cutting of rainforests, child slave labor, and polluting the air to supply the world with the most beloved ingredient on the planet, chocolate. California Cultured is here to bring the joy back to eating chocolate. We are developing the technology needed to make better chocolate for the world through cell-based methods. Our mission is to improve the world’s chocolate supply with a chocolate that is mouthwatering, sustainable, and better for you. California Cultured is looking to add a Lead Bioreactor Operator to our team to help with production bioreactor work. The ideal candidate would have 1-8 years of industry experience with production scale laboratory processes and plant cell bioreactors. This person should be comfortable working in a team environment and should have strong communication and data recording skills. This position will report to the Bioprocessing Engineer Lead.

Duties include:

• In-depth understanding of sterile procedures as related to plant tissue culture

• Planning and scheduling of lab operations

• Accurate data recording and compliance documentation

• Operation of plant cell bioreactors and related industrial-scale equipment

• Frequent communications with Lead Bioprocessing Engineer

• General laboratory sanitation including monthly deep cleanings

• Adherence to project goals and SOPs

• Oversee facility operations and maintenance

• Follow all instructed safety precautions and regulations

• On ground contact point for production operations

• Ownership of assigned work tasks

About You

• In-depth knowledge of plant tissue culture including plant cell bioreactors

• Expert knowledge of sterile techniques and sterile procedures

• Production focused mindset with the ability to schedule operations and labor resources

• Comfortable using industrial-scale equipment

• Able to work in a lab setting while wearing appropriate PPE

• Deliberative communicator

• Desire to lead production operations

About the Position

• This is a production position

• Work follows drafted SOPs

• Team focused work schedules and timetables

• Work can be physically demanding

• Competing schedules of operation need to be prioritized correctly