Media Development Scientists, Research Associates & Technicians

At Ivy Farm our mission is to create the world’s best guiltfree and sustainable meat, it’s cultivated meat, just like real meat, only made differently - and were super excited by it.

Culture Media Development is one of the key departments here at Ivy Farm. We are now expanding the Media Development Department and looking for various levels of Media talent, so wherever you are in your Media career ping us your details!

Were a humble community of 40+ scientists; a team where you can make a true difference to animal well-being and global sustainability.

So, recognising we are looking for various levels of new team members, you may have just completed your degree, your masters or you may be a seasoned scientist with a PhD with a background in cell biology and / or a cell culture Media Development genius 😊.

You will be working with mammalian cells, defining strategies to develop effective media in both small-scale formats and bench scale bioreactors. You’re used to working to deadlines and delivering results, and if that’s resulted in commercially available product(s) all the better. And right now, you’d relish the chance to apply your expertise to do something a bit different; something that can make a real difference too.

Types of responsibilities to give you a flavour (depending on your level):

• Developing novel media formulations for cultivated meat that will help maximise cell growth, keeping scalability in mind
• Manage time effectively, performing multiple experiments in both 2d and 3d formats
• Of course, maintaining high standards in a laboratory setting with excellent aseptic technique – that’s a given
• Experience in culturing both adherent and suspension cell culture
• Perform analysis, drawing out insights that drives thinking, creativity and improvement
• Identifying protocols enhancing high cell growth of mammalian cells, maximising cell biomass, while managing costs, goals, and resources
• Accustomed to using automation platforms ensuring optimal efficiency & performance
• You’ll be experienced in using high-throughput methods such as DoE to identify the most appropriate media formulations
• Analysing and summarising experimental results, sharing learnings with your amazing colleagues, managers and leaders, where the wider team and the whole Farm benefits from all you’ve done
• Naturally keeping your finger on the pulse of SOA in the industry and emerging processes within culture media is a given and the potential benefits (or risks) they could bring to the Farm
• And then of course there’s all the aspects of being a lab scientist: completing e-notebooks, meeting H&S standards, writing & following SOPS - and helping shape those too

To be an Ivy Farmer we need you to be:

• Natural problem solver
• Lateral thinker
• Have excellent time-management & organisational skills
• Ability to manage multiple work streams
• Confident communicator, both written and verbal
• Happy to work with a team or alone to achieve deadlines

We’re an innovative bunch, with a can-do attitude and one that’s unafraid to think differently. We also have project targets, compliance expectations and – as in any fast-growing business – sometimes competing priorities. That’ll be something you have not just experienced previously but somewhere you thrive. We’ll be looking to you to share your expertise and experience with the team. We also realise this may well be your first venture into cultivated meat – and that’s absolutely fine – we have a great team that will be excited to help you get to grips with that.

So, if you’re ready to join an emerging ground-breaking industry, that’s both able to think differently and actively looking to do so, and one where you can make a difference to animal well-being and sustainability then we’re waiting to hear from you!

And just to confirm, here at Ivy Farm, we're an employer that believes in creating a workplace where everyone feels included and valued, no matter who they are.

We're always on the lookout for people with awesome attitudes and impressive behaviour. If you think you can bring something positive to the farm, we're excited to hear from you. Even if you're not sure you meet all the requirements, don't be shy – you never know what might happen! We want to make a special shout out to people who identify as LGBTQIA+, disabled, or come from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. These are groups that don't have as much representation in the tech industry, and we really want to encourage you to apply.

Salary: £DOE (as you know we're looking for various levels), Bonus, Excellent Benefits Package, inc. Private Health Insurance and Company Shares, team get togethers, company parties, a well stocked kitchen and free flowing tea, coffee and soft drinks. Location: Oxford

More info for the specific roles:

Ivy Farm Technician:

• Running assays including HPLC, flowcytometry, immunocytochemistry & other molecular techniques
• Preparation of different media formulations for the wider team
• Maintaining stocks, inventory management and ordering
• Aliquoting media components
• Following SOPs, checking relevant COSHH
• Data analysis and reporting
• Equipment maintenance
• E-labbook maintenance

Ivy Farm Research Associate:

• The above plus:
• Maintaining & cryopreservation of cell cultures both adherent and suspension
• Analysing & summarising experiment results
• Writing & following SOPs, COSHH, TRADOCs
• Maintaining high standards in the lab and immaculate aseptic technique
• Able to multitask
• Experience with DasBOX and 3L Bioreactor operation would be added bonus

Ivy Farm Scientist:

• The above plus:
• Optimising current formulations & designing novel formulations
• Hunger to learn, up to date with current relevant literature
• Identify novel approaches to enhance cell growth, develop assays to measure KPIs
• Understanding of mammalian cell metabolism & molecular pathways associated with proliferation and differentiation
• Up to date with industry standards & trends
• Understanding of high throughput methods to optimise formulations using DoE
• Presenting, discussing & rationalising outcomes from experiments with peers, managers and the FARM