Researcher Circularity

RespectFarms; Leiden; Hybrid; EUR 42,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

RespectFarms is seeking a Researcher Circularity to design a modular, automated cultivated meat pilot farm with a focus on circular inputs, waste minimization, and reuse across the production chain.

You will integrate circularity into bioreactor processes, automation, and farm operations, enabling decentralized production and scalable deployment.

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Circular Economy, Bioprocess/Biotech fields.
• Strong affinity with circularity and sustainability.
• Experience with lifecycle/cost analyses preferred.
• Knowledge of bioreactor systems and mammalian cell culture essential.
• Ability to translate biotech complexity into practical circular farm operation.

Responsibilities

• Design a modular, automated cultivated meat pilot farm with maximal circularity.
• Incorporate circular inputs and waste-reuse across production steps.
• Collaborate with biotech, agritech, and farming partners to implement the concept.

Skills

Circularity mindset

Problem solving

Conceptual design

Bioreactor systems knowledge

Mammalian cell culture knowledge

Biotech-to-farm translation

Education

BSc or MSc in Environment/Sustainability/Bioprocess Eng

MSc preferred in Sustainability/Bioprocess

Tools

LCA/TEA/Cost analysis

Job description

Location : Leiden (office) and Schipluiden (farm) and working from home - Netherlands

Type : Full-time

ABOUT RESPECTFARMS

RespectFarms is a start-up in the cellular agriculture industry, located in the Netherlands. With a long history in cultivated meat , our vision is to sustainably transform our food system by integrating the best out of the conventional and the cellular agriculture industry. We, therefore, see ourselves as system integrator. We will optimize, productize and commercialize the first cultivated meat farm by 2030, with 1000 more farms to come by 2038.

Our approach focuses decentralized (scale-out) production, modular bioprocess systems, farmer-operated facilities, automation-first design, and practical deployment in real agricultural environments. We aim to redesign the meat supply chain so that farmers stay economically relevant, food production becomes more sustainable and meat production happens closer to consumers.

We aim to redesign the meat supply chain so that farmers stay economically relevant, food production becomes more sustainable and meat production happens closer to consumers.

We are looking for a Researcher Circularity who is passionate about food innovation and eager to contribute to the future of cultivated meat by help making our cultivated meat farm to the greatest extent possible a circular production system.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an enthusiastic, highly motivated and talented Researcher Circularity to join our team. You will conceptually design a cultivated meat farm that is modular, automated and to the greatest extent possible circular. Looking at all the different steps in the production system of cultivated meat you will put emphasis on circularity utilizing e.g. circular raw materials—such as cells, nutrients, energy, and other inputs—in each step of the chain while minimizing waste generation and maximizing the reuse of waste streams. Unlike centralized biotech factories, with RespectFarms farmers become operators of advanced cellular agriculture technology. This requires practical engineering, user-friendly operation, and automation-driven, and as much as possible circular process design. You will work at integrating circularity in bioreactor processes, automation, and cell and agricultural operations. Administration of procurement and contracts

YOUR PROFILE

We are looking for a Researcher Circularity to design the first modular, automated, and as much as feasible circular cultivated meat pilot farm. Part of your role is making this plan a reality, building a circular cultivated meat farm and scaling out our technology to the world! Qualifications needed for this role:

• BSc or MSc with respectively 0-2 or 2-5 years of experience in studies on e.g. Environmental Science, Sustainability, Circular Economy, Bioprocess Engineering, Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, or related field
• Strong affity with Circularity is a must have
• Experience with LCA, TCA, TEA or other societal cost analysis is preferred.
• Knowledge on bioreactor systems and mammalian cell culture is essential
• Strong problem-solving and conceptual design mindset is essential
• Ability to translate biotech complexity into practical circular farm operation
• Food-tech or cultivated meat experience is nice to have

WHY JOIN

• Work on the first cultivated meat farm
• Build technology with real-world deployment
• Collaborate with biotech, agritech, and farming partners
• Help shape a new production model for sustainable protein
• Contribute to decentralized food production systems