Research Associate

About us Vow is a cultured meat company on a mission to feed billions and create food that’s good for your tastebuds, your health, and the planet. We’re bringing together cutting‑edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary, and design to create new meats that meat lovers can choose selfishly because they’re delicious and nutritious — and we’re doing it sustainably. The role We’re looking for a Research Associate who can bridge the why of cell behaviour with the how of process design. This hands‑on role requires flexing between outcome‑focused R&D and practical process implementation: you’ll drive hypothesis‑driven experimentation and bring biological insight to process decisions that directly advance Vow’s company goals. Equally, you’ll operate benchtop bioreactors, maintain seed trains, and optimise processes. You’ll play a critical role in understanding how to grow mammalian cells to achieve specific nutritional, sensory, and functional attributes - and then translate these insights into new and/or optimised cell culture processes that can be scaled to the factory floor. To achieve this, you’ll collaborate closely with many cross‑functional teams, including other scientists, factory operators, engineers, and product developers to ensure processes scale seamlessly from benchtop to our 200–20,000 L production bioreactors. You're a versatile, hands‑on scientist who has the capability & motivation to flex between R&D exploration and practical execution. This role is ideal for a strong cell biologist who’s excited to expand their skillset into process development, no prior PD experience required (though any exposure is a bonus. You will: Drive experimental design and process optimisation Design and execute experiments to understand how process parameters impact outcomes like cell traits, nutrient composition & texture. Translate biological insights into optimised, scalable cell culture processes Use data and learnings to iterate quickly, and propose improvements to lab workflows and protocols Contribute to hands‑on cell culture work and process development Prepare and maintain cultures across flasks, shake cultures, and seed trains Operate and troubleshoot benchtop bioreactors to test and optimise culture processes designed for factory floor Perform shared lab tasks such as media prep, cleaning, and routine equipment maintenance Collaborate and scale across the company Work closely with other scientists, engineers, product and manufacturing teams to scale processes from lab to factory floor Support process implementation and continuous improvement on the production floor Own your projects end‑to‑end, ensuring outcomes are aligned with Vow’s broader goals The experience/skills you will bring Bachelor’s degree in cell biology, biotechnology or a related field, with 2-3 years of hands‑on experience working with mammalian cell culture (or other complex cell systems) Extra bonus if you have experience or familiarity with bioreactor operation or process optimisation Strong grasp of cell biology fundamentals and how culture conditions affect growth, behaviour, and key cell traits Experience designing experiments, interpreting data, and translating biological insight into practical outcomes (process, product, or both) Hands‑on experience with cell‑based assays, molecular biology methods, planning/executing well‑designed studies & how to interpret them to extract actionable biological insight Extra bonus if you have experience with omics approaches (transcriptomic/proteomic/metabolomic) Nice to have: Exposure to DOE or multivariate experimental design Experience with statistical and/or data analysis tools Experience supporting process scale‑up or manufacturing technology transfer Soft skills that will make someone successful: Enjoys variety - you’re motivated by flexing across different technical problems, from R&D ideation to hands‑on process development work Curious and creative problem solver who approaches challenges with first‑principles thinking Clear communicator and effective collaborator who knows when to seek input and when to run independently Comfortable balancing rigour and speed - knowing when to move fast versus dig deeper Happy to get stuck into the unglamorous but essential lab tasks that keep things running smoothly What success looks like By the end of your first month: Developed a strong understanding of Vow’s upstream manufacturing processes, including key trade‑offs, pain points, and opportunities, learned Vow’s lab systems and workflows (including our in‑house LIMS) and can operate independently in the lab Delivered early impact on a process optimisation or improvement project while building strong relationships across teams Within three months: Successfully delivered your own process optimisation project, translating biological insights into practical outcomes Developed a working knowledge of factory floor manufacturing processes and can integrate these constraints into R&D decisions Shown the ability to challenge assumptions, apply first‑principles thinking, and balance speed with rigour in decision‑making Demonstrated adaptability, confidently switching between R&D exploration, process design, and implementation work By the end of your first year: Played a key role in bridging biology and process development, using biological insights to deliver measurable product outcomes (e.g. nutrient composition, sensory attributes, texture) Owned and delivered multiple projects end‑to‑end, from hypothesis through to implementation on the factory floor Supported successful technology transfer and continuous improvement activities, ensuring smooth scale‑up of new processes Contributed to team growth by sharing knowledge, mentoring others, and fostering a culture of learning and experimentation Who we are and why join: We are building a diverse, mission‑led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are. Work on cutting‑edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting‑edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, been called The Spaceship of the cultured meat industry by Forbes and launched our first product under the brand Forged in some of the hottest restaurants in Singapore. Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers’ growth as much as possible. We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start‑up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC. Vow perks and benefits: Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success. Generous paid parental leave. We offer 8 weeks of paid caregiver leave and an additional 8 weeks paid leave for the birth giver. Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families. Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes sh*t happens. We don’t want you to stress about work when you need to deal with an emergency or are struggling with something truly difficult. We offer unlimited personal leave to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day. Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess. An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass‑walled lab, 2 factories, shower and towel service, bike rack, free snacks, a culinary centre and plenty of collaboration and chill zones. Human and dog friendly office An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzers to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team. #LI-CF1 #J-18808-Ljbffr