About us:

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.

UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job:

As a Laboratory Assistant at UPSIDE Foods, you will play a foundational support role, crucial for enhancing the experimental throughput of our bioprocess development organization. The core responsibilities of this role are to execute routine tasks in support of general lab services. The Bioprocess Lab Services (BLS) team utilizes “Resource Management by Smartsheet” to assign, level-load, and plan tasks in a team-oriented manner. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, complex environment and is passionate about contributing to the future of sustainable food. This position operates on a 4-10 schedule: Wed-Sat 7:30AM-6:00PM (5:30 if waiving second meal break).

This role will be on-site in our office in Emeryville, CA.

Responsibilities Include:

• Kit tubing and assemble bioreactor components, including cutting tubing and staging parts.
• Perform experiment tear-down post-completion, ensuring proper clean-up and organization.
• Responsible for washing glassware both manually and using a washer. Operate the autoclave for sterilization purposes.
• Perform general lab maintenance tasks to ensure a clean and effective work environment.
• Recommend and implement organizational and efficiency improvements in the lab.
• Maintain inventories of various lab essentials, including consumables, stock solutions, and glassware.

About you:

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent educational certificate.
• At least 6 months of prior experience in a laboratory or food science setting, with a preference for experience in a bioprocessing laboratory environment.
• A flexible mindset, able to enjoy and adapt to a fast-paced and complex work setting.
• A proactive approach towards improving processes and workflows.

Working Conditions:

• Work in a laboratory environment, which includes extended periods of standing and regular handling of laboratory chemicals and samples.
• Flexibility in hours may be required depending on project needs.

Who you’ll work with:

• Work collaboratively with other lab assistants on the BLS team
• Interact with Bioprocess Development technicians, scientists, and engineers advising or executing more complex experiments in the lab.
• Coordinate with the Lab Operations group for the implementation and maintenance of systems.
• Collaborate with the Cell Culture Media group on stock solution preparation, storage, and labeling.

Compensation Range: $21/hr - $26/hr*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• 3 Weeks PTO Accrued Annually
• Employee Engagement Council
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.