Maxime Boulet-Audet Email & Phone Number

San Leandro, California, Us

Redwood City, California, Us

Managed 5 plant-based meat formulation projects (e.g. steak, un/breaded chicken breast, chicken strips) with up to 19 FTE and >40 stakeholders. The whole-cut program simulated animal tissue structure and taste using proprietary extrusion technologies combined with color, flavor systems, and gelling proteins & adipose tissues.Set objectives, workflows, database management (batch records, lab notebooks), communication plan, Gantt charts, risk mitigation approaches, roles & responsibilities, and prototype success criteria. Tracked progress using Smartsheet and Google Workspace dashboards against product development stage-gates. Led cross-functional team members and engaged with Product Management, Intellectual Property, Sensory, Legal, Nutrition, Sourcing, Consumer Insights, manufacturing, EHS, formulation, TPM, and Sales to meet stage goals.Managed a $19M CapEx food extrusion-based manufacturing plant design and construction project for 4M lb/Y. Set User Requirement Specification (URS) for the plant, including the process descriptions, the piping and instrumentation diagram (PID), block flow diagrams, process mass balance, heat transfer calculations PLC as well as the sanitary requirements (e.g. 3A), PLC program requirements and cleaning-in-place requirements fo cGMP.Coordinated with extrusion and other food processing equipment vendors and construction firms for mechanical & electrical installation. Reviewed architectural drawings and equipment design submittals to meet requirements.Estimated the product cost of goods sold (COGS) for the process developed.Managed the Fiber & Whole Cuts Tech functional Team with up to 11 reports (hired 6), reported to Co-CSO.Managed a materials lab and a commercial food kitchen, including mixers, extruders, microscopes, rheometer, and texture analyzers, ovens, steamers, and fryers.

Redwood City, California, Us

Co-developed protein mixing and texturization processes based on three protein fiber-spinning types for different tissue types and elastic textures, leveraging shear-induced/thermal denaturation and enzymatic cross-linking.Conducted kitchen & lab inspections following the HAACP plans and environment hazards checklists. Led the development of thousands of prototypes, hundreds of internal sensory tests up to n=30, and several external consumer tests with n> 100 to consumer liking test quality success criteria based on sensory attributes.Co-inventor of US20220330575A1 “Non-animal-based whole-cut food products”. Plant-based meat from fiber spinning and binding using protein and polysaccharides (e.g. starches, gums) ingredients in combination with fat emulsion for marbling.Co-developed >5 assays using texture analyzers to optimize texture attributes and build predictive models in JMP.

Berkeley, California, Us

Led the spinning research for the first recombinant silk product for knit ties and a Stella McCartney dress.Evaluated spray coating (e.g. PU) and waxing finishing processes at contract manufacturer organizations (CMOs).Led the mycelium materials research team for the development of Mylo leather-like textiles for luxury softgoods, including handbags for Stella McCartney based on fungal fermentation.Developed wet-end processes for the tanning and chemical binding of mycelium hyphae nonwovens.Co-inventor of 6 patents using protein & polysaccharides biomaterials for textile and skin care including:WO2019089780A1 Methods of generating recombinant spider silk protein fibersWet spinning and drawing of Pichia pastoris precision fermented recombinant proteins to form textile fibers.WO2019060921A1 Methods of generating highly-crystalline recombinant spider silk protein fibers.Thermal drawing of semi-crystalline fibers to the molecular alignment and the tenacity of yarns.US20220273526A1 Recombinant spider silk extrudate formulationsSilk-based emulsification through pressure and shear to form spreadable extrudate for skin care and cosmeticsUS20230055130A1 Mycelium materials, and methods for production thereof.Liquid cultivated and aerial branching hyphae (e.g. Neurospora crassa, Ganoderma sessile) mechanically disrupted and bonded through wet lay to form leader-like composite lamina for textile applications.US20200102424A1 Composition for a Molded BodyThermoplastic recombinant protein shaped through heat pressing, and extrusion-based injection molding.

Berkeley, California, Us

Developed recombinant protein materials assay based on rheology, material elasticity, and differential scanning calorimetry to optimize the protein sequence through structure-functional relationship modeling.Write/review processing & testing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Tech Transfer packages for CMOs and frequently publish reports for the c-suite. Managed the materials characterization, polymer processing, and textile lab with 20+ instrumentsDeveloped and qualified >10 mechanical testing methods following ASTM, AATCC & ISO for paper and textiles.Manage the materials team group’s data, electronic notebooks, and workflows using Benchling LIMS.DOE and results statistical analysis using JMP for technical reports.

London, Gb

Researched CHO Cell culture fluid monoclonal antibody purification using affinity chromatography coupled to FTIR in collaboration with Pall Corporation as part of the Bioprocessing Research Industrial Club.Monitored the chromatographic resign Protein A ligan concentration and conformation in situ by FTIR to determine the effect of Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) cycle.Developed a well plate high-throughput assay to measure the protein aggregation and conformation by spectroscopic imaging and developed the user interface & back end for 4D matrix analysis with MATLAB.Taught fundamental chemistry for Chemical Engineering CE1-06

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Life Sciences, Material Science

Master'S Degree, Physical Chemistry

Bachelors, Chemistry