Research Scientist

fairlife•Chicago, IL

14d•Onsite

About The Position

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers. With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk ; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™ , a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation. To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com . job purpose : We are seeking a highly motivated Research Scientist to serve as the subject matter expert in dairy chemistry and process interactions. This role bridges fundamental molecular science with large-scale manufacturing and engineering applications. This is a hands-on, research-forward opportunity to develop a deep, mechanistic understanding of the chemical, physical, and organoleptic changes that occur in dairy matrices during processing and over a product's shelf life. You won't just collect and track data – you will design the science-backed strategies that alleviate quality challenges and unlock our next generation of breakthrough RTD protein products.

Requirements

Education: MSc or PhD in Dairy Science, Food Science, Food Engineering, or a closely related field, with a distinct academic focus on physical chemistry or advanced processing.
Experience: 1-3 (PhD) or 2-5 (MSc) years of progressive experience in dairy/food research, spanning laboratory bench work and pilot plant scale-up.
Technical Mastery: Dairy/Food Physical Chemistry: Deep understanding of the interactions between proteins, fats, enzymes, and minerals during manufacturing processing, under thermal stress and during shelf-life.
Analytical Toolset: Proven hands-on competence with rheology, chromatographic methods, particle size, and compositional analyses.
Technical Writing: Exceptional capability in authoring rigorous technical reports, white papers, or peer-reviewed documentation.

Nice To Haves

Comprehensive understanding of applied dairy chemistry.
Unit Operations: intimate familiarity with end-to-end fluid milk operations (separation, standardization, membrane filtration, homogenization, and UHT/aseptic processing).
Direct experience with commercial aseptic systems and product-packaging interactions (e.g., PET barrier integrity, closures).
A proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional root-cause investigations (e.g., solving oxidation defects, fouling reduction, or severe shelf-life failures).
Familiarity with the regulatory framework governing dairy processing, functional ingredients, and stabilizers.

Responsibilities

Mechanistic Research & Root-Cause Investigation: Own the Problem Statement: Bridge the gap between the lab and the plant. Spend time on the manufacturing floor and in QA labs to map critical quality attributes and define complex technical challenges at their source.
Hypothesis to Scale: Design comprehensive research plans to validate the underlying mechanisms behind product stability, age-gelation, sedimentation, and flavor kinetics.
Translational Science: Test solutions from bench-top prototypes through pilot plant validation, culminating in commercial-scale trials. Translate data into clear, actionable recommendations for cross-functional leadership.
Advanced Analytics & Method Transfer: Method Innovation: Proactively identify gaps in our current testing protocols. Evaluate, develop, and validate new analytical methods—specifically focusing on rheology, particle size distribution, chromatography, and volatile profiling.
Knowledge Transfer: Draft robust SOPs and technical playbooks. Act as the lead Subject Matter Expert (SME) to transfer these new methods to plant QA labs, providing hands-on training to operational teams across all manufacturing sites.
Process Optimization & Technical Advocacy: Predictive Quality: Apply your deep understanding of milk protein chemistry (e.g., casein-whey interactions, mineral balance) to partner with Product Development and Operations, optimizing formulation and processing choices for fluid dairy beverages.
Efficiency & Sustainability: Identify opportunities for process optimization that improve yield, thermal efficiency, and product shelf life, acting as a technical leader across Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain.
Emerging Leadership Team Growth: While starting as an individual contributor, you will have the immediate opportunity to mentor junior team members and build a small team (1–2 direct reports) of technicians or junior scientists as your workstreams expand.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one!
Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance)
Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance
Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000)
Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support
401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match
Wellness reimbursement (up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses)
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for emotional wellbeing and work-life support
Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability
Employer HSA funding (for HDHP participants)
Tuition reimbursement (up to $10,000) and student loan repayment ($200/month)
Learning & development programs to unlock your full potential
Rewards & recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups