Associate Fermentation Science Jobs in Chicago, IL

• Lead internal upstream process development efforts at the Sumitomo Biorational Company Biorational Research Center by conducting fermentation experiments in laboratory- and pilot-scale bioreactors.
• Evaluate the performance of microbial strain candidates by analysis and interpretation of fermentation data.
• Work with a team of fermentation scientists, downstream process engineers, formulations scientists, microbial engineers and analytical chemists to develop sustainable biorational solutions within the expanding field of BioAgriculture.
• Design and implement upstream processes to optimize strain performance of bacterial and fungal microorganisms to produce microbial products, metabolites and proteins.
• Mentor junior team members by training safe and proper use of fermentation and analytical equipment required to execute process development and improvement experiments.
• Provide guidance to research associates and support their professional development.
• Take primary responsibility for the operation and troubleshooting of pilot scale fermentation equipment.
• Design scale up and scale down experiments to execute seamless technology transfer between Research and Manufacturing operations.
• Build strong relationships with supporting research departments and deliver fermentations on time or ahead of schedule to biology, downstream processing, formulations, and product development teams.
• Travel to manufacturing site to launch new fermentation processes and troubleshoot current commercial processes.
• Maintain and further develop collaborative relationship with the pilot and production fermentation team at the manufacturing site.
• Execute sophisticated process development experiments utilizing statistical tools to ensure process robustness.
• Work alongside data scientists, IT, and engineering to build and maintain a digital system to organize and archive run data and electronic batch records.
• Maintain and update laboratory data and documents including electronic lab notebook and SOPs.
• Conduct all work in strict compliance with all applicable safety requirements, containment requirements, standards operating procedures and/or guidelines while maintaining a clean and orderly workspace.
• Work both independently and with interdisciplinary research teams while maintaining a positive and collaborative environment.

• Expertise in culturing microorganisms, including filamentous fungi, to increase metabolite productivity using aseptic techniques
• Hands‑on experience using lab‑scale or pilot‑scale SIP bioreactor systems for microbial cultivations and metabolite production, particularly with non‑model bacterial and fungal organisms
• Experience training junior scientists in the use of fermentation equipment and execution of process development experiments
• High degree of competency in the Microsoft Office 365 suite and statistical analysis software
• Strong communication, presentation, and listening skills in cross‑functional teams
• Willingness to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion
• Able to lift up to 25 lbs
• Degree in Fermentation Science, Chemical/Biochemical/Biosystems Engineering, or closely related field with industrial fermentation experience (5 years with PhD, 8 years with MS, 12+ years with BS).

Demonstrates expertise in upstream process development and fermentation science, with a strong focus on optimizing microbial strain performance and mentoring junior scientists. Proficient in utilizing statistical tools for process robustness and maintaining compliance with safety and operational standards.