How to apply for AI Resident, Strategic Research

About UPSIDE Foods

UPSIDE Foods develops cultivated meat grown from animal cells without conventional animal farming. The company operates in food technology and needs people who can reason through commercial and industry questions. This residency sits in Strategic Research and reports to executive leadership.

About the role

This is a twelve-week residency, 20+ hours per week during US business hours, applying AI tools to cultivated meat industry questions. You frame research questions with senior stakeholders, run rapid desk research, test findings with industry and subject-matter experts, and deliver cited, decision-ready recommendations. You present at a midpoint and final readout and work with the Enterprise Intelligence team to operationalize findings.

A typical day

A typical day involves framing or refining research questions with senior stakeholders, running desk research with AI tools like Claude or Gemini, and synthesizing findings into cited recommendations. You may also schedule or hold expert conversations to test claims and prepare materials for the midpoint or final readout. Exact team rhythms are not stated in the posting, so ask about check-in cadence and how the Enterprise Intelligence team collaborates during the residency.

Who UPSIDE Foods is looking for

• MBA or consulting background with demonstrated commercial reasoning and ownership of a workstream end to end
• Fluent with AI research tools such as Claude or Gemini for desk research, synthesis, and drafting
• Comfortable framing ambiguous questions with senior stakeholders and defending claims with cited external evidence
• Available 20+ hours weekly for 12 weeks during US business hours, including two Bay Area facility visits at company expense

Tips for this application

• State your weekly availability and confirm you can commit 20+ hours for 12 consecutive weeks during US business hours.
• Include one or two work samples that show a research question turned into a cited, decision-ready recommendation, not just analysis.
• Name the specific AI research tools you use (Claude, Gemini, or others) and describe how you use them for desk research and synthesis.
• Show commercial reasoning: pick a cultivated meat or food-tech industry question and outline how you would frame it with an executive stakeholder.
• Note that you can attend two Bay Area facility visits at company expense, and mention any prior experience working with executive audiences.

What to cover in your cover letter

Lead with a concrete example of framing a research question with a senior stakeholder and delivering a cited recommendation. Explain your MBA or consulting background and how it built commercial reasoning. Describe your workflow with AI research tools like Claude or Gemini for rapid desk research and synthesis. Confirm your 20+ hours weekly availability for 12 weeks during US business hours and your ability to make two Bay Area facility visits.

Research before applying

• Read UPSIDE Foods' public materials on its cultivated meat process, products, and regulatory path.
• Review the cultivated meat industry landscape: key players, cost drivers, regulatory approvals, and consumer adoption questions.
• Learn how the Enterprise Intelligence function typically works and what operationalizing research findings means in practice.
• Identify two or three industry experts or subject-matter experts you would want to speak with and why.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a research project where you framed the question with a senior stakeholder and delivered an evidence-backed recommendation.
• How do you use AI tools like Claude or Gemini for desk research, and where do you verify or distrust their output?
• What commercial questions matter most to a cultivated meat company, and how would you scope a twelve-week research plan?
• How do you test findings with industry experts and subject-matter experts, and how do you handle disagreement?
• Describe how you would present a midpoint readout to executive leadership and operationalize findings with the Enterprise Intelligence team.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without confirming 20+ hours weekly availability for 12 weeks during US business hours.
• Describing AI tool use in vague terms instead of naming Claude, Gemini, or specific research workflows.
• Submitting analysis without cited external evidence or without a clear recommendation for executive leadership.
• Ignoring the two Bay Area facility visits or treating the role as fully remote with no travel.