[Hiring] Senior Scientist, Plant-based @The Good Food Institute

Engineer a new paradigm in food production

The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a nonprofit think tank working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. Alongside scientists, businesses, and policymakers, GFI’s teams focus on making plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible. Powered by philanthropy, GFI is an international network of organizations advancing alternative proteins as an essential solution needed to meet the world’s climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals.

How you will make a difference

In this position, you will have the opportunity to conduct technical landscaping for plant-based proteins and ingredients, identify key challenges facing crop development, raw materials, and ingredient supply chains, and articulate scalable solutions to accelerate the adoption of plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy. You will help ensure that scientific efforts and research funding are allocated toward the highest-impact research areas to accelerate the adoption of plant-based proteins and transform agriculture toward more sustainable systems. Working with key academic, nonprofit, and industry stakeholders, you will help plant-based alternative protein products achieve or exceed sensory and price parity with conventional protein products as quickly as possible. The Senior Scientist, Plant-based will be responsible for:

• Leading and writing technical analyses of the plant-based meat, egg, and dairy industries that culminate in white papers, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed articles.
• Forecasting future bottlenecks and obstacles that may inhibit the long-term growth of the plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy and proposing solutions to proactively alleviate these bottlenecks.
• Identifying the key areas requiring the most focused research and supporting the Science and Technology (SciTech) team in finding qualified researchers to perform that work.
• Launching and overseeing original research projects through contracted partners and collaborators, with a focus on agricultural outputs and economics.
• Supporting the SciTech funding team by engaging high-priority investors, foundations, government agencies, and others who can infuse significant capital into plant-based technology development.
• Informing strategic decisions through insights derived from deep industry tracking and analysis.
• Building GFI’s capacity to serve as a knowledge hub for the industry and as a connector and force multiplier.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Who we’re looking for

An ideal candidate for the Senior Scientist, Plant-based position will have experience that reflects the following:

• A Ph.D. in a relevant scientific field or an M.S. in a relevant scientific field and at least 3 years.
• Exceptional writing skills for technical and general audiences.
• Adept public speaking skills.
• A proven track record of analyzing scientific literature and publishing literature reviews.
• Experience translating scientific information into formats for non-scientific professionals.
• A functional understanding of the principles, methods, equipment, and techniques used in plant-based meat, egg, and dairy research and manufacturing.
• Preferred: working exposure or formal training in crop development, plant-based ingredients and raw material processing and functionality, and supply chain management.
• A commitment to fostering a work environment that is respectful, supportive, fair, and welcoming to all.
• Comfort working remotely in a collaborative, caring, and high-performing culture that values inclusion and innovation.
• Strong support for GFI’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in plant-based & other alternative proteins, public health, environmentalism, climate change, animal protection, or hunger relief.
• A commitment to GFI’s values: believe change is possible, do the most good we can, share knowledge freely, act on evidence, and invite everyone to the table.

GFI wants the best people and is committed to a fair hiring process. We use a third-party anonymizing tool to redact personal information from submitted applications — including name, location, contact details, and several other factors — to increase fairness in our process. We also prioritize an inclusive work environment absent of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team. Please see our full Equal Opportunity Statement: https://gfi.org/careers/#EEOC-and-visa-disclaimer.

If you are passionate about GFI’s mission, think you have what it takes to be successful in this position, and meet many of the job requirements — even if you don’t check all the boxes — please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time, exempt
• Reports to: Nikhita Mansukhani Kogar, Principal Scientist, Plant-based
• Location: Remote; United States
• Travel: Up to two weeks per year for organization retreats (reasonable accommodations for and exemptions from organization retreats considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Benefits: Working from home; paid employee base medical coverage; dental, vision, and other medical insurance options; a 401(k) plan with employer match; 14 paid holidays; personal, sick, and vacation time; paid family/parental and medical leave; lifestyle spending account; opportunity for advancement; and, respectful and collaborative culture. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/GFIBenefits.
• This is a U.S.-based position: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work for any employer in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. At this time, GFI's policy is not to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas.
• Salary: $112,574.02 - $118,202.76 (depending on experience and qualifications)

Important dates

Application deadline: March 26, 2026

Anticipated start date: On or around April 27, 2026

Decided not to apply? If after reviewing this job description, you have decided not to apply, please let us know why by completing this short survey: https://tinyurl.com/GFIJobSurvey

Interested in working at the Good Food Institute? Join us for the Career Opportunities Webinar to learn more about our work and ask questions about specific job opportunities! See upcoming webinar dates and more information at https://tinyurl.com/GFICareers

Application instructions

GFI uses an anonymized hiring system that redacts key identifying personal information from all applications. We use this tool as part of a wider effort to reduce bias in our hiring process. Following these instructions will help to ensure your application is not delayed by a failed redaction.

• Where possible, limit the creative formatting of your documents. If the name on your resume is an inserted image file or is styled with large spaces between each letter, for example, the redaction is likely to fail. Colors and designs are OK, but wherever possible, the text itself should just be regular text.
• Please use consistent names. It helps to ensure that the name you use in your resume and cover letter is the same as the name you type into the application below. For example, if your name is Jennifer, please sign your cover letter as “Jennifer” rather than “Jenny.”
• Submit PDF or .docx files only. Other file formats, like .txt, are likely to fail redaction.
• Please do not include personal identifying information in your responses to the application questions. Referencing past education, work experience, and mission-alignment is OK.
• If you use smart technology, use it wisely. We want to get to know you — not a robot. Please ensure your application materials reflect your own voice and experience.
• Please do not contact the role’s supervisor or any potential member of the hiring team. If you have questions, please email [email protected].

Thank you for helping us to ensure that the redaction process works smoothly and to review your application as quickly as possible!