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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.     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.     skills/qualifications required:    required qualifications   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) ye