Josh Kittelson, PhD, joins New Culture as VP of Biology

Adding deep synthetic biology and R&D management expertise, New Culture brings on board industry leader to accelerate time to market of its animal-free mozzarella.

SAN LEANDRO, Calif., April 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bay Area-based New Culture is thrilled to announce the hiring of Josh Kittleson, PhD, as the company's VP of Biology. New Culture is leading the global movement to an animal-free dairy future, offering animal-free dairy products that are indistinguishable from conventional products in taste, texture, function, and nutritional content. Adding Kittleson's deep synthetic biology and R&D management expertise, the company has brought on board an industry leader to accelerate the time to market of its animal-free mozzarella.

Kittleson has 15+ years of experience in molecular biology and strain engineering, with a dual focus designing structural proteins for novel applications and engineering microbial behavior. He holds a PhD in Bioengineering from Berkeley, a BS in Biochemistry and Computer Engineering from University of Arizona, 15+ patents, and has published 10+ peer-reviewed papers.

Kittleson comes to New Culture from Bolt Threads, where he was Vice President of Research and part of the leadership team. He was responsible for new products and breakthroughs to transform the world of animal-free materials. He built and led the team that created the platform for rapid expression, purification, and evaluation of novel structural proteins and biochemical tools, leading to partnerships with renowned consumer brands including Adidas, Lululemon, and Stella McCartney. The breadth of his management experience spans molecular biology, protein engineering and purification, strain engineering, chemistry, and material processing and characterization.

"I couldn't be more excited to join New Culture's rapidly growing team to provide a delicious alternative to traditional dairy cheese, one of the largest opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of methane-belching cows," commented Kittleson. "After almost a decade of adventures with spider silk and mycelial derived materials at Bolt Threads, I'm thrilled to dive into this next career chapter making awesome animal-free cheese at New Culture."

New Culture Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Inja Radman, PhD, said "Josh is a pioneer in our field with extraordinary experience designing and creating organisms and proteins that are transforming the animal-free industry. We are thrilled to have him lead our outstanding Biology team and be part of New Culture's leadership group."

By harnessing the power of animal-free casein to produce mozzarella, New Culture makes the first animal-free cheese that stretches and bubbles like classic cheese. Their mozzarella has been savored by chefs and industry experts on artisan pizzas made in 850° wood-fired ovens and 400° home ovens alike. While other animal-free brands rely on starches, soy, and nuts, New Culture is forging a new path by combining traditional cheesemaking, fermentation, and food science to bring about a sustainable, new culture for the world of dairy.

New Culture is backed by world-class investors including Kraft Heinz's Evolv Ventures, ADM Ventures, S2G Ventures, Mayfield, and Future Ventures. Their cheese will be available in select dining experiences in late 2022.

SOURCE New Culture