Scientist, Fermentation

CIBUS LIMITED; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

Cibus is seeking a Scientist, Fermentation in San Diego, CA to join a cross-functional team advancing fermentation processes for high value specialty ingredients. The role focuses on yeast and bacterial strains, developing scalable and cost-efficient methods for cosmetic, nutrition, or flavor and fragrance applications.

Required education includes a PhD/MS/BS in relevant fields and 3–5+ years of fermentation experience.

Qualifications

• Design and execute fermentation experiments to maximize product titer and specification goals.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute fermentation experiments to maximize product titer and specification goals.
• Develop and implement procedures to increase fermentation reproducibility and throughput.
• Conduct data analysis to understand key factors affecting fermentation results and provide DOE recommendations.
• Maintain fermentation lab, equipment, instruments, and supplies.
• Interact with Strain Development, Downstream Processing, and Analytical teams for iterative refinement of all processes.

Skills

Fermentation

Fermentor operations

Experimental design

Data analysis

Aseptic techniques

Microbiology

DoE

Bioprocess data

Team collaboration

Education

B.S./M.S./Ph.D. in Bio/Chemical Engineering or related field

Tools

BioFlo 320

Job description

San Diego, California

Cibus has an immediate opening for a Scientist, Fermentation at their San Diego, CA site to join a cross-functional team developing efficient and economic fermentation processes utilizing yeast and bacterial strains for the commercial production of high value specialty chemical ingredients for cosmetic, nutrition or flavor and fragrance applications.

Required education

B.S./M.S./Ph.D. in Bio/Chemical Engineering, Fermentation, Microbiology, Biotechnology, or a related field, plus a minimum of 5 years (B.S.) or 3 years (M.S.) of experience in fermentation research.

Area(s) of expertise desired

Applied working knowledge of fermentation technology and fermenter operations, experimental design, and data analysis.

Job Description

Cibus is a biotechnology company with advanced technologies to precisely target and direct a plant’s natural gene-editing processes. This approach accelerates natural plant breeding that has been a staple of farming for thousands of years and has resulted in a rapid, versatile and low-cost way to produce sustainable industrial and agricultural products and improve human health by safely harnessing nature’s own genetic diversity. The company has a worldwide presence, with subsidiaries in Europe and North America and state-of-the-art research and development center in San Diego, CA Cibus has a pipeline of traits for canola and rice and is developing crop platforms and a pipeline of trait products in other major global crops including soybean, wheat and corn.

Role responsibilities

• Design and execute fermentation experiments including seed train, media and process optimizations to maximize product titer and specification goals.
• Develop and implement procedures to increase fermentation reproducibility and throughput. Support troubleshooting and technical investigations of fermentation runs and provide solutions to various issues in process development.
• Conduct data analysis to understand key factors affecting fermentation results and provide recommendations on design of experiment (DOE) to
• Improve fermentation titer, yield, or other targets such as minimizing impurities and/or costs.
• Continue to build and manage a fermentation database. This includes both online and offline fermentation processes and data analysis.
• Interpret and present the data and draw appropriate conclusions.
• Maintain fermentation lab, equipment, instruments, utilities, and supplies.
• Interact with Strain Development, Downstream Processing, and Analytical teams for iterative refinement of all processes to achieve project goals.
• Support, improve or develop downstream processes as needed.
• Participate in the tech transfer and scale-up of fermentation technology to manufacturing scale.
• Manage and maintain cell lines, master stocks, and working stocks of various microbial strains.

Core Capabilities

• Broad knowledge and hands‑on experience in precision fermentation operations with lab bioreactors such as the BioFlo 320.
• Strong command of aseptic techniques as applied to microbial fermentation.
• Proficient in classical microbiology laboratory skills such as strain isolation, propagation, enumeration, purification, and microscopic observation.
• Experience with detailed analysis of bioprocess data demonstrating an ability to troubleshoot, debottleneck, and optimize bioprocesses.
• Self‑motivated and able to work independently while thriving in a highly collaborative environment.
• Amenable to both lab and desk roles as needed. Flexibility in working hours as required by experiments is desirable.
• Able to independently manage multiple tasks while meeting deadlines with minimum guidance.
• Capable of supervising junior associates or enabling others through cross‑team interactions.
• Able to use judgment and make routine recommendations for resolving problems in moderately complex assignments.
• Proactive communicating with supervisor and teammates, including progress reports and presentations.
• Demonstrates the ability to work in a team environment in a manner that fosters trust, respect, and collaboration.
• Flexible in the capacity to adapt to changes as required by the business.
• Be an advocate for and adhere to all laboratory safety protocols. Meet all expected safety requirements.

Salary Range

$110,000 - $128,000

Position Type

Full time, regular

ONLY CANDIDATES WITH WORK AUTHORIZATION IN THE U.S. ARE CONSIDERED AT THIS TIME.