Senior Scientist, Liquid Fermentation | Fungal Bioprocess R&D (Chicago, IL)
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Your fungal fermentation expertise is exactly what this team is missing.
A well-funded, Chicago-based biotech company has a mature commercial fermentation process running at pilot scale. The process works. Now they need a scientist with deep fungal physiology knowledge to optimize it, get creative with media and strain behavior, and unlock the next level of performance. That scientist is currently missing from the team.
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬
Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a Chicago-based biotech company developing a novel protein ingredient and biomaterials platform derived from a unique fungal organism. The company has been operating since 2021, has a commercial-scale fermentation process in production, and recently sharpened its focus around B2B ingredient and biomaterials applications. The team is approximately 70 people, lean by design, highly collaborative, and in active growth mode. The pilot plant is located on Chicago's south side, and the team runs the kind of environment where everyone, including leadership, is still on the floor.
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𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦𝗡'𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘
Most of the fermentation team is engineer-heavy. They're great at changing variables and running scale-up. What they don't have is someone who can go deep on the science: understanding how a fungal strain actually behaves, why it's doing what it's doing, and how to systematically leverage that biology to hit cost and quality targets.
That's the gap. You'd be filling it.
The hiring manager put it plainly: the next 6 to 12 months are about the scientific side of things. The company has commercial deliverables tied to this work. The person who joins will have immediate, visible impact on product outcomes, not someday impact.
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𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗧 𝗔 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗪
You probably have excellent process infrastructure, strong colleagues, and a narrow lane. You know your organism well, but you're rarely the one asking the big scientific questions or owning the outcome. You're contributing to a process that will keep running whether you're there or not.
Here, you'd be the one asking the questions and answering them. The fermentation team is counting on that scientific depth. You'd have RAs and junior engineers to support experiment execution, and one peer scientist at your level, but the intellectual ownership is yours.
If the idea of being the subject matter expert in the room, rather than one of many, sounds like the kind of move you've been waiting to make, this one is worth a conversation.
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬
You'll join a fermentation and pilot plant team of approximately 10 people, reporting to the Director of Process and Pilot Engineering. The team operates benchtop, 50L, and 500L bioreactors at the on-site pilot plant in Chicago. The commercial fermentation process is already running, so you're not starting from zero. You're coming in to optimize it, troubleshoot it, and find the scientific levers others haven't pulled yet.
To start, expect roughly a 50/50 split between hands-on bench and pilot work and desk work (data analysis, DOE planning, experiment design, cross-functional coordination). As the team grows and you establish the scientific foundation, the role is expected to shift toward more ideation and direction over time.
Travel is not expected for the first six months.
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𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗
• Design and execute fermentation experiments at benchtop and pilot scale (up to 500L) to optimize media formulations and feed strategies for fungal productivity and product quality
• Investigate fungal strain behavior to identify biological levers tied to product output and cost targets, using your understanding of physiology to drive creative, testable hypotheses
• Plan and run statistical DOEs, interpret complex fermentation datasets, and translate findings into process recommendations with real commercial implications
• Partner with R&D, Engineering, and other departments to integrate upstream fermentation performance with downstream product quality requirements
• Work hands-on alongside RAs and junior engineers, directing experiment execution while remaining active at the bench yourself
• Contribute to techno-economic feasibility work and help the team understand what optimization is actually achievable and on what timeline
• Document experimental work and maintain rigorous records to support scale-up decisions and process continuity
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞
This role is not a desk job. The hiring manager said it clearly: if someone expects to come in, sit at a desk, and delegate to the team, that's not going to work. The value you bring is scientific depth combined with hands-on engagement, not one or the other.
The team is at an early stage of optimization. The process is commercially mature, but the scientific answers aren't all there yet. You'll be working in non-GMP, BSL-1 conditions with filamentous fungal strains in a startup environment where priorities can shift and resources are leaner than at large organizations. The trade-off is that your decisions matter immediately and the people around you will know it.
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𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:
• PhD in Bioprocess Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineering, Microbiology, or a closely related field (or MS with 10+ years of directly relevant industrial experience)
• Hands-on experience with submerged or liquid fermentation, including bioreactor operation at lab and pilot scale
• Demonstrated expertise in media optimization and understanding of how nutrient and environmental variables drive microbial or fungal output
• Comfort working in a startup environment, including ambiguity, shifting priorities, and leaner resources than a large CPG or pharma organization
• Ability to work on-site in Chicago, IL (the role is primarily on-site at the pilot plant)
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:
• Direct experience working with filamentous fungal strains (this is the most valued technical differentiator for this search)
• PhD combined with 2 to 5 years of industrial fermentation experience (fresh PhDs are less competitive for this specific role)
• Prior experience with continuous fermentation or semi-continuous process development
• Scale-up exposure, particularly at larger scales (50,000L range) even if not the primary focus of the role today
• Track record in a startup or early-stage company where you had to do more with less
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𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦
𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆: Based on experience
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: 10% annual target
𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆: Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), all employees eligible
𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: Medical, dental, and vision; multiple plan options available, several 100% employer-paid
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Sign-on bonus available, structured based on distance and number of dependents
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: On-site at pilot plant, Chicago, IL (Back of the Yards neighborhood, 2075 W 43rd St area)
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Apply via LinkedIn and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation. Confidential search; your application is fully private.
𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱