Research Scientist – Pune, India

Company Overview

Proeon is an award-winning startup focused on making food that is good for people, the planet, and the conscience. An innovation-driven company with a deep focus on creating next-generation plant protein ingredients with superior nutrition, functional and sensory profiles for plant-based egg, meat & dairy alternatives, functional foods, and nutraceutical industries globally. We are partnering with leading food brands to build sustainable, healthier, and tastier products for consumers across the world.

Core Responsibilities

1. Generate ideas, design, plan and execute research from bench to pilot scale with the goal of identification, development, evaluation, and commercialization of new ingredients derived from pulses or other plant-based raw materials.
2. Plan, manage, and execute experiments to improve existing processes and current protein ingredient profiles.
3. Enable process transfer into manufacturing for scale-up by providing written and oral communication of the process, training of manufacturing associates, review and approval of documentation, and on-floor support.
4. Maintain necessary documentation, SOPs, data of the experiments, and results. Author and review technical reports. Prepare and present data to the management and senior scientists as necessary.
5. Stay abreast of the technology environment (established & emerging technologies, market trends, IP landscape). Proactively seek and pursue IP opportunities to protect Proeon’s interests in new and promising ingredients and applications.

Requirements:

Education Qualification: Ph. D in Food Engineering, Bio-Process Technology or related field. Active academic or industry research & development work in the field of plant proteins and by-products.

Experience: 2 to 4 years of R&D in Protein processing, grains/cereal processing, process development, and scale-up in the ingredients industry, preferably in the food and nutrition industry.

Skills:

• Deep understanding of protein chemistry and isolation techniques, structure and functional properties of proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids within complex food matrix systems.
• Demonstrated ability in scale-up of processes.
• Exposure to Lab/pilot/industrial ultrafiltration, solid-liquid separation systems, and spray dryers.
• Demonstrated experience and skills in project management and project ownership across the life-cycle of a project, from conception to completion.
• High level of proficiency with MS Office, lab data management systems, etc.
• Demonstrated experience with designing experiments and statistical data analysis for the appropriate interpretation of results.
• Experience in mentoring junior team members.
• Effective communication skills to interact within teams and across cross-functional teams.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment

Job Location: Pune