Pharma Fermentation Scientist — Expert, E. coli & Scale-Up

Cogent Scientific; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

401(k)

Parental leave

PTO and paid holidays

Relocation benefits

Job summary

Cogent Scientific is hiring an Expert Pharma Fermentation Biochemist to design and optimize E. coli fermentation processes from shake flask to pilot‑scale bioreactors.

You will drive yield improvements, define process parameters, and ensure scale‑up readiness while collaborating with cross‑functional teams. The ideal candidate holds a PhD in a related field and has hands‑on fermentation experience in instrumented bioreactors, plus strong communication skills and attention to detail.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, molecular biology, or a related field.
• 1+ years of hands‑on experience developing and operating bacterial fermentation processes in instrumented, controlled bioreactors.
• Demonstrated experience independently designing, executing, and analyzing fermentation experiments at ≥2 L scale.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Leadership and communication skills for fast-paced multidisciplinary environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and optimize E. coli fermentation processes from shake flask through bench-scale and pilot-scale bioreactors, hands-on.
• Drive improvements in yield and consistency via optimization of host strain, media, feed, and process controls.
• Use design of experiments to define design space and critical parameters.
• Establish scale-independent criteria to ensure bench-scale performance translates to pilot scale.
• Develop pre-specified plans, analyze data, and present conclusions to cross-functional teams.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Attention to detail

Problem-solving

Learning agility

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in chemical engineering or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Cogent Scientific is hiring an Expert Pharma Fermentation Biochemist to design and optimize E. coli fermentation processes from shake flask to pilot‑scale bioreactors.

You will drive yield improvements, define process parameters, and ensure scale‑up readiness while collaborating with cross‑functional teams. The ideal candidate holds a PhD in a related field and has hands‑on fermentation experience in instrumented bioreactors, plus strong communication skills and attention to detail.