Senior Scientist; Liquid Fermentation

Senior Scientist, Liquid Fermentation (Fungal Scale-Up) | Chicago, IL

You've mastered fermentation at the bench. You know fungal physiology the way most scientists know textbooks, because you've lived it at pilot scale. And you've been waiting for a role that actually needs all of it s is that role. ⠀

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a Chicago-based biotech startup commercializing a proprietary fungal protein platform born out of NASA-supported extremophile research. The company pivoted in late 2025 from consumer food products to B2B ingredient applications and biomaterials, a deliberate move that has the organization operating lean, capital-efficient, and at an inflection point. With 70-75 employees and a startup culture that one senior leader described as "those early days again," this is a place where scientists have real ownership and real impact.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗩𝗢𝗧 (𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀)

The company watched large-format vegan food brands burn cash chasing volume. They chose a different path: exit CPG, go deep on the ingredient and materials platform, and build for durability. New verticals include sustainable biomaterials and pharmaceutical applications. The fermentation platform, not the brand, is the business. That means this scientist role is core infrastructure, not a support function. ⠀

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧Y

You'll report to the Director of Process and Pilot Engineering, a long-tenured leader who has built this function from the ground up. The team is eight people, all Chicago-based, operating out of a consolidated pilot plant facility in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. This is a player-coach role. You'll set the technical direction for submerged fermentation with a preference for continuous processes, while remaining hands-on at the bench and pilot scale.

You'll be the technical authority connecting R&D fungal biology with manufacturing-scale reality. ⠀

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗

• Design and execute operating strategies for submerged fermentation, with emphasis on continuous fermentation and process stability

• Develop and optimize fermentation media and feed strategies to maximize fungal productivity and product quality

• Lead scale-up from pilot to manufacturing, serving as the technical authority for upstream fermentation optimization

• Apply statistical DOE and fermentation modeling to complex data sets and inform techno-economic feasibility assessments

• Partner with R&D, Engineering, and CMOs to integrate upstream fermentation with downstream processing

• Operate and troubleshoot lab and pilot-scale bioreactors, including hardware and control systems

• Conduct metabolic flux analysis to refine media and understand the "why" behind the data ⠀

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞

This role is on-site at the pilot plant, the majority of the time. Bench and pilot work are the core of the job. If you're looking for a hybrid or remote-flexible research role, this isn't it. The company is in a strategic transition. Priorities shift. The ideal person rolls with that, finds it energizing rather than destabilizing, and brings structure to ambiguity rather than waiting for it to arrive.

The upside: you're not waiting for approval from six layers of management. You're working with a small, sharp team where your decisions actually show up in the process. ⠀

𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:

• PhD in Bioprocess, Chemical, or Biological Engineering (or MS with 10+ years of directly relevant fermentation experience)

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with filamentous fungal strains and deep understanding of fungal physiology

• Proven track record in continuous fermentation and submerged culture (SmF) scale-up

• Experience operating and troubleshooting lab and pilot-scale bioreactors

• Comfortable working in a startup environment with shifting priorities

𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:

• Experience with metabolic flux analysis and media optimization

• Background bridging R&D and process/pilot engineering

• Prior experience at a large CPG or ingredient company with a desire for broader scope

• Familiarity with downstream processing integration ⠀

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦

𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆:
Depending on Experience

𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: 10% annual target

𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆: ESOP participation — all…