Associate Scientist / Scientist: Media Optimization

Responsibilities

• Develop and test media formulations to support robust marine species cell line establishment and promote cell growth to high culture densities
• Analyze and quantify media components and metabolic by-products; adjust media recipes to optimize material input and by-product output
• Use statistical and DOE skills to effectively screen ingredients and recipes for established and new cell lines; make statistically sound decisions.
• Work with the process development team to support high cell density cultures in bioreactors on large scales
• Design, execute and analyze experiments; concisely report results and implications to the team.

About You

• PhD in related life science discipline (e.g. Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Metabolism, and/or Biophysics) or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of experience with media optimization
• A strong record of productivity and effective collaboration in complex projects
• 3+ years of experience with animal cell cultures
• Expert with demonstrated knowledge of nutritional requirements for cell culture.  
• Experience using statistical approaches and DOE for media optimization
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize time and resources with respect to project timelines
• A growth mindset, curiosity, and the abilities to learn quickly and communicate effectively.
• Preferred but not required: expertise in media development, molecular biology techniques, automation (e.g. liquid handlers), analytical chemistry, and experience working with microbioreactors or bench scale bioreactors
• Strongly preferred, but not required: management and leadership experience in an industrial setting

Impact plan

• Within 1 month you will have gained familiarity with Wildtype’s media formulations and optimization processes. You will have carried out your first experiments independently, with the support of your scientific mentor. You will independently prepare media and other experimental reagents. You will have defined your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will have tested optimization parameters for media formulations involving frontier species. Your work will include the isolation and culture of primary cells, facilitation of cell immortalization, and proliferation assays. You will have contributed to the design of experiments supporting media optimization and cost reduction..
• Within 6 months your skills will have developed to the point where you can independently train new hires on Wildtype’s entire media development process. Your work will be organized effectively to achieve tasks on time at a high level of quality. You will have presented your findings at company-wide research meetings. 
• Within 12 months you’ll be managing and carrying out multiple experiments simultaneously. You will be able to articulate how your work directly impacts the company’s milestones. You will routinely take the initiative to research topics independently and volunteer new ideas or approaches.