Fermentation Engineer

Company Overview : Oleo is an early-stage

biomanufacturing company developing a platform to produce

carbon-negative oil feedstocks for advanced fuel production. Our

technology combines microwave hydrolysis and microbial fermentation

to convert biomass waste into oil feedstocks, addressing a $21

billion market. Oleo’s platform reduces cost exposure and improves

supply chain stability for energy producers, with a targeted ~22%

cost reduction compared to incumbent seed oils. The technology was

developed by Oleo’s founders at Stanford University and is in the

process of being scaled to the 300L setting at Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory. Oleo is supported by Activate, DOE Leep @

Cyclotron Road, and BEAM Circular, and has received investment from

Gener8tor, Safar Partners, Alpine Social Ventures, Collab Fund, and

G-Force. Role Description : Fermentation Engineer We are looking for

an experienced fermentation engineer to join the Oleo team to lead

the optimization and scale up of our fermentation process. In this

position you will be responsible for advancing key components of

Oleo’s technology, optimizing fermentation parameters for microbial

oil production in a laboratory setting, and scaling said processes

up through the pre-pilot and pilot phases. This role is in-person,

based in Berkeley CA. Our team will look to you to design and lead

fermentation optimization experiments and scale up, as well as

daily operations in our lab. Primary Responsibilities of this Role

Include : Media optimization : Optimizing biomass media tailored to

Oleo’s proprietary microorganism to maximize fermentation

efficiency. Fermentation process optimization : Conducting

laboratory-scale fermentation experiments to study the impact of

static and dynamic parameters on fermentation outcomes, with the

goal of maximizing growth rate and lipid production. Data analysis

and interpretation : Analyzing fermentation data to identify trends,

optimize parameters, and draw conclusions about process

improvements. Scale-up and production support : Transferring

optimized fermentation processes to larger production scales,

troubleshooting issues, and ensuring consistent product quality.

Designing and conducting runs of 300L, 1,000L, and 9,000-15,000 L

bioreactors, including seed train development. Replicating

optimized laboratory scale results in pilot scale reactors.

Procuring equipment for product recovery and downstream processing.

Collaborating with contract manufacturing organizations and other

manufacturing / scale-up partners. Characterization : Characterizing

biomass, hydrolysates, and oil samples via mass spectrometry to

inform the development of specification sheets and provide inputs

to technoeconomic models. As the Ideal Candidate, you would bring

PhD in molecular biology, molecular engineering, microbiology,

bioengineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry, or other

related fields, with 1-3 years of industry experience. Expert

knowledge of microbial fermentation and biomanufacturing.

Experience running bioreactors for the laboratory to pilot setting

(500mL-15,000L). Culturing and maintaining non-model yeast

including media preparation and preparing inoculum. Demonstrated

competency designing and executing experiments, and making data

driven decisions based on experimental outcomes. A sense of

initiative and organizational acumen to prioritize research efforts

and take ownership of projects from ideation to implementation. The

resilience to overcome technical challenges and persevere through

bottlenecks to ensure successful project implementation. The

ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with teammates,

stakeholders, and suppliers. Ability to leverage physical and

chemical characterization techniques, including mass spectrometry,

to measure key properties of cellulosic hydrolysates and microbial

lipids. Nice to haves Previous experience with protein expression

and microbial host engineering. CAD competency for the design of

custom laboratory equipment. Knowledge of statistical methods

including design of experiments. What we offer Annual salary of

$110,000, with potential for expanded responsibilities and

corresponding compensation growth as the company advances through

the seed stage. Company equity. Healthcare and dental insurance.

Competitive PTO. Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to

sponsor visas. We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive

workforce. If you’re excited about this role, but do not meet 100%

of the qualifications listed above, we encourage you to

apply.