Principal Scientist

Hoofprint Biome is a venture-backed start-up that is leveraging biotechnology to avert the climate crisis. We are engineering enzymes and probiotics to eliminate methane emissions from cattle while also improving nutritional quality and yield. We believe that cattle are a key pillar of sustainable agriculture and human nutrition, and eliminating their methane emissions will enable transformative progress in the fight against climate change.

We’re looking for a talented fermentation scientist who is passionate about animal, human, and planetary health. You must be motivated, comfortable with a fast-paced work environment, team oriented, and committed to building exceptional products. Your role will be to design and execute process development for pilot scale yeast fermentation. You will play a critical role in developing probiotics for more efficient and more sustainable animal agriculture.

New and vibrant lab space

Based on the NC State University Centennial Campus, minutes from downtown Raleigh, our lab is in the $160M brand new Plant Science Building. We work alongside both academic and industry groups pushing the boundaries of agricultural innovation.

Leadership opportunities

We’re looking for people to help shape the future of Hoofprint Biome. Grow with us and help shape the future of sustainable agriculture.

Responsibilities

• Fermentation Process Development
• Lead process development for high density production of live yeast and other probiotics
• Operate bioreactors at benchtop and pilot scale
• Conduct scale-up studies for the transition between shake flask, small bioreactor, and pilot bioreactor processes
• Optimize bioreactor process and culture parameters to improve the density, viability, and protein production levels of yeast
• Refine and adjust fermentation parameters to optimize biomass yield and protein production
• Optimize fermentation parameters including feed profiles, mixing, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, and pH management
• Balance both economic and performance considerations in all approaches. Perform techno economic analysis (TEA) to assess process viability and scalability
• Ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards throughout all stages of the fermentation process, maintaining detailed documentation and records for quality control and regulatory purposes
• Internal and External Collaboration
• Provide feedback to strain engineers to ensure strains are robust to the needs of large scale fermentation
• Bring creative ideas to co-optimize strain engineering and fermentation processes - including different carbon sources, growth attributes, etc.
• Facilitate technology transfer, ensuring that processes are accurately and efficiently transferred to production facilities/CMOs
• Small Scale Downstream Processing and Formulations
• Perform laboratory scale protein purification as necessary
• Produce and dry live probiotic yeast using filtration, spray drying, and other downstream processing technologies to facilitate animal studies

Who you are/what you bring:

• Advanced degree (M.S. or PhD preferred) in Microbiology, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related field, with a strong focus on fermentation science.
• 2 years of experience in microbial fermentation processes from lab to industrial scale, ideally within the agricultural, food, or pharmaceutical industries.
• Practical knowledge of media formulations, microbial physiology, and downstream processing techniques, with a track record of improving yield and reducing costs.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience in process optimization and data analysis. software, complemented by excellent communication and project management abilities.
• Creative approaches to problem solving.
• Leadership in scientific research & development. You identify problems and find a way to solve them to move the projects forward.
• Team oriented, comfortable working independently and with a team.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Curiosity, intention, tenacity, team mindset, and accountability to the mission.
• Must love cows.

We offer competitive salary and equity options, and benefits include health, vision, dental, life insurance, and a 401(K) plan. We value diversity in thought from people with all types of experiences, ethnicities, talents, ages, and ideas, and we especially encourage candidates from minority and disadvantaged groups to apply.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to Relocate:

• Raleigh-Durham, NC 27502: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person