Research Scientist – Molecular Biology & Strain Engineering / Research and Development

Are you interested in shaping the future of food by producing new sustainable food ingredients with cutting edge technology and with superb colleagues who are top experts in their field? Onego Bio might be just the place for you.

Onego Bio is a Finnish-US food ingredient company on a mission to create a more resilient food system through its product Bioalbumen®—the first non-animal egg protein with an amino acid sequence identical to the natural protein. The company's award-winning technology has placed them at the forefront of delivering sustainable, animal-free egg protein ingredients that cater to the food industry's need for functional, supply- and cost-stable egg protein ingredients. The company is focused on scaling precision fermentation to industrial scale with the superior Trichoderma reesei production platform.

Founded by alternative protein pioneer Maija Itkonen (CEO) and precision fermentation trailblazer Christopher Landowski (CTO), Onego Bio is a spin-off that salutes the work done by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for the next level cellular agriculture products and applications. In April 2024 Onego raised a $40M Series A funding round (one of the largest in the Nordics) for fueling scale-up and go-to-market in the US. Similarly, in July 2024, Onego secured €14M / $15.2M new funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program and additional Series A investors. In 2024, Onego Bio has successfully raised altogether €50.5M / $55M, bringing the company’s total funding to €65M / $70.8M. Most recently, Onego has submitted formal GRAS notification to the FDA for Bioalbumen®.

As a recognized leader in food innovation, Onego Bio was honored as the Winner of Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas awards and is a proud co-founder of the Precision Fermentation Alliance and Food Fermentation Europe. Get to know us better by exploring our webpage https://www.onego.bio/about-us

We are now looking for a Research Scientist to join our R&D team

In this position, you will play an essential role in developing, planning, and carrying out research projects with a project team and contribute towards our greater goal of providing animal free egg protein ingredients to the world. Ultimately, we aim to be part of building a sustainable food system with the help of our partners throughout the world. Towards this goal our R&D team will create microbial production systems for expressing egg white proteins using filamentous fungi.

Your responsibilities as Research Scientist:

Scientific project work in the fields of protein production and fungal biology.
Using your expertise in molecular biology and strain engineering to create excellent fungal production strains for egg white proteins.
Developing strain screening technologies and platforms for filamentous fungi.
Further developing our fungal expression platforms using the newest innovations.
Working with our bioprocess team to improve the strains and bioprocess conditions.

Who we are looking for:

Proven, excellent laboratory skills and experience in molecular biology techniques such as DNA cloning, genome engineering and recombinant protein production is a must.
Experience in strain engineering and different strain screening technologies is preferred.
PhD in biotechnology, molecular biology, fungal biology, or related field or Master’s degree in similar fields with more than five years of relevant experience is required.
Good written and spoken English skills.
Proven ability to effectively instruct technical staff.
Knowledge in the field of fungal biology and/or experience working in an industrial biotechnology company is considered as a major advantage.

As a person, we hope that you:

Independently plan your work and perform experiments skilfully and precisely.
Self-motivated and willing to take the initiative to get projects accomplished.
Have strong communication and collaboration skills.
Work well with other team members and contribute to a good working environment.
Can tolerate pressure and maintain a good work-life balance.
Are flexible to take on a variety of tasks anticipated in a start-up company.

What we offer you:

Molecular biology with an impact. Onego Bio works on creating cutting-edge microbial protein production systems. Microbial production technology to produce egg white protein shows potential to significantly mitigate environmental impacts up to 90% according to recent study published in Nature Food. The positive impact of our technology does not only contribute positively on the environment but also supply chain stability, global health, food security and animal welfare. Egg is one of the world’s most popular proteins and our team stands to meet the demand in a way that preserves the future of our planet.

Superb colleagues. We offer working in a passionate environment within a fun and diverse team who want to make an impact in the world. With Onego Bio, you will join a dedicated group of top experts in their respective fields who foster a culture of trust, openness, and sharing ideas.

Competitive salary. We want to attract the best people, so we will provide competitive salaries.

Nordic work–life balance. Working in Finland, the happiest country in the world, enables a high quality of life. At Onego Bio, we make our people’s well-being a priority. We offer 6 weeks paid vacation a year, among other benefits including extended occupational healthcare, and exercise and culture benefits.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Please send your CV and application letter as soon as possible but at the latest by 11th of May 2025. We highly appreciate examples of your relevant skills and knowledge in the application letter.

We will process applications as they come in and fill the position as soon as we find the right candidate.

Interested and want to hear more?

For further information, please contact Head of Biology, Taija Leinonen, taija.leinonen@onego.bio

Read more about our past work on the topic:

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/onego-bio-gras-fda-recombinant-egg-protein-ovalbumin-fermentation/onego-bio-gras-fda-recombinant-egg-protein-ovalbumin-fermentation-2/

https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/01/animal-free-egg-protein-onego-bio-40m/

https://www.hs.fi/visio/art-2000010306262.html

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/onego-bio-series-a-funding-precision-fermentation-egg-protein-gras/

https://www.fastcompany.com/90878786/onego-bio-bioalbumen-animal-free-egg-whites

https://foodmatterslive.com/article/precision-fermentation/

https://agfundernews.com/onego-bio-ceo-makes-the-case-for-animal-free-egg-proteins

https://www.eu-startups.com/2022/03/10-fantastic-fast-growing-finnish-startups-to-watch-in-2022/