About us:
Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love. 
 
Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. 
 
UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.
 
About this job:
As a Laboratory Technician in the Food Research and Development department, you will play an integral role in various activities, working with a moderate degree of supervision and strictly adhering to standard operating procedures for the development of cultivated meat!  Your role includes handling tasks specific to the Food Applications function, such as operating advanced chromatography equipment, preparation of analytical reagents, sample extraction and quantitation, and instrumentation maintenance.

This role will be based 5 days a week in our Berkeley, CA office.
 
Responsibilities Include: 
  • The main responsibility of the Laboratory technician is to operate GC-MS and GC-O equipment in support of Food R&D projects.
  • Perform routine maintenance on chromatography instruments, ensuring they are clean and functioning at peak performance.
  • Calibrate instruments following GLP protocols and document all calibration activities.
  • Follow SOPs with a moderate degree of independence to perform a diverse range of lab tasks, from routine to complex, ensuring utmost accuracy and efficiency
  • Prepare reagents, analytical standards, and other solutions with a high level of precision. Maintain a comprehensive log of chemical standard preparations, including reagent lot numbers, concentration calculations, and expiration dates.
  • Adhere strictly to quality control measures and safety guidelines, demonstrating advanced understanding and application of proper PPE usage and maintaining a safe working environment
  • Exhibit an in-depth understanding of all materials, equipment, and items vital to the laboratory. Lead in organizing and maintaining the lab space, including efficient inventory management and suggesting improvements for lab operations
  • Collect, organize, and analyze data in a proficient manner
  • Proactively monitor the working environment and processes, using your expertise to identify, report, and escalate any changes, inconsistencies, or concerns to the supervisor and relevant users promptly
  • Maintain clear and effective communication with all team members and supervisors, often serving as a point of contact for the implementation of analytical assays and safety
About You: 
  • Associate's degree in a scientific field, a biotechnology certificate, or professional experience in cell biology, bioengineering, or a related science (analytical chemistry preferred); hands-on GC-MS lab experience required
  • Experience in the use of laboratory equipment, demonstrating proficiency and the ability to troubleshoot equipment issues
  • Proven ability in leading or significantly contributing to a team environment through scientific collaboration, often taking initiative in coordinating team efforts
  • Exceptional communication and teamwork skills
  • Able to stand for extended periods and able to work in a laboratory environment, which includes regular handling of laboratory chemicals and samples
Who You’ll Work With: 
  • This role will most frequently interact with our FR&D teams including product development, sensory and ingredient discovery.
Compensation Range: $25/hr - $33/hr*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.
 
UPSIDE Benefits!
  • Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
  • 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
  • Pet insurance for your furry family members!
  • 3 Weeks PTO Accrued Annually
  • Employee Engagement Council
  • Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities
 
UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.

Apply for this Job

* Required
resume chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
UPSIDE Custom Demographic Questions

At UPSIDE Foods, we value belonging and believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. This core value is a pillar of our business and critical to our success. Your responses will be used (in aggregate only) to help us evaluate the diversity of our job applicant pool and how we can improve our efforts to attract a diverse range of candidates. Your responses will not be associated with your specific application and will not in any way be used in the hiring decision.

I identify my gender as: (Select one) *





I identify as transgender: (Select one) *




I identify my sexual orientation as: (Select one) *






I identify my ethnicity as (mark all that apply): *











Veteran Status: (Select one) *




I have a physical disability: (Select one) *




Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in UPSIDE Foods’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Enter the verification code sent to to confirm you are not a robot, then submit your application.

This application was flagged as potential bot traffic. To resubmit your application, turn off any VPNs, clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try another browser. If you still can't submit it, contact our support team through the help center.