Job Description

Title: Fermentation Scientist

Location: Chicago, IL (alternate between Hyfé headquarters and Argonne National Laboratory, with flexibility for occasional remote work)

Start date: As soon as possible

Company

Hyfé Foods is a sustainable foodtech company that produces low-carb, protein-rich mycelium flour by leveraging fermentation to upcycle wasted sugar water from food manufacturing. We have developed a patent-pending, carbon-negative method to produce affordable, nutritious, and allergen-free flour products.

Flour is a food staple that for years has contributed to chronic disease due to its high levels of refined carbohydrates. It is prominent in diets across the globe and is currently under threat – the United Nations has warned that soaring global prices for grains threaten to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine in a crisis that could last for years.

We are on a mission to transform the food system, delivering flour staples that are more nutritious, more sustainable, and more resilient to climate change and supply chain disruption than their traditional counterparts. We are challenging the way food has been produced for centuries, so we are building a team of people who are unafraid to imagine a better future and are ready to use their energy, creativity, and tenacity to make that dream a reality.

Hyfé just closed an oversubscribed $2M pre-seed fundraise, which is enabling us to build out a new lab and hire our founding team. We were also awarded a Department of Energy (DOE) grant through the Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) Accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory, giving our team access to Argonne’s world-class experts and top-tier research facilities.

Culture

We are a female-founded team in biotech, creating an ingredient the world hasn’t seen yet – in the base case, we are doing things differently. Our culture is rooted in fun, resilience, creative thinking, inclusion, and respect. We are known for our hustle and for maintaining laser sharp focus on execution. We feel a sense of personal ownership for achieving our vision. We get through the tough times as a team, investing in each other, and appreciating the unique skills we each bring to the table. We trust in each other’s capacities and intentions.

Our founders are engineers, each with a decade of experience in industry. We encourage each other to dream, and when it comes to execution, we operate practically, efficiently, and fast. We have a culture of ownership, undivided responsibility, and relentless dedication. If you join our team, you will go home every day feeling like your work is directly making the world a better place.

Role

We are looking for a fermentation scientist with industry experience to join our founding team and develop and scale Hyfé’s mycelium fermentation platform. This role reports to the CTO and works closely with other members of the Hyfé team, as well as the R&D team at Argonne National Laboratory under a grant awarded by the Department of Energy. The role will grow with the company, with opportunity for fast growth as you work with our CTO to build and lead our research team.

Responsibilities

• Design, conduct, analyze, and report experimental research on submerged mycelium fermentation in shake flasks and bioreactors
• Develop continuous benchtop bioprocesses and eventual scale up to pilot facility
• Support day-to-day lab operations, including procurement, installations, and maintenance
• Develop best-practice processes and procedures to ensure safety, efficiency, and quality
• Collaborate with product developers, process engineers, and business development colleagues to progress technology readiness
• Manage completion of projects within agreed timelines, utilizing project management tools to plan, self-steward, and communicate progress
• Champion science-based, data-driven approaches to solve complex problems

Requirements

• BS or MS in microbiology, mycology, bioengineering, biology, biotech, or related field
• 2-5 years of industry experience in fermentation science, with preference for experience working with fungi, Generally Accepted As Safe (GRAS) organisms in food applications, and/or pilot or commercial-scale fermentation technologies
• Innovative mindset with a can-do attitude and passion for Hyfé’s vision
• Ability to navigate challenges independently, leveraging team for feedback when appropriate
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and project management skills

Benefits

• Competitive salary, equity, and vacation
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term disability coverage
• Parental leave
• Opportunity to build a lab from scratch and work with an ambitious, impact-driven team

Equal Employment Opportunity

Hyfé Foods is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: alternative protein, bioengineer, bioengineering, Climate Tech, fermentation, fermentation scientist, fungi, mycelium, and research scientist. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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