Take an idea from a research paper to a commercial product shipped to clients in the US, EU and Asia — that is this job.

SDC (Spray Drying and Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.) is hiring founding scientists for its new Innovation Cell — people who will take ideas and client problems from concept to commercial reality, not maintain a system someone else built.

ABOUT SDC

We manufacture food and nutraceutical ingredients at Saykha Industrial Estate, Bharuch, Gujarat. We are FSSC 22000, Halal and Kosher certified, US FDA registered, and export to the US and EU. The plant runs 24x7 across spray-drying lines, and a major expansion is adding further capacity, a new innovation laboratory in Surat and a pilot facility.

THE ROLE

You will work directly with the Director and the R&D; Lead on two fronts: developing our own next-generation functional ingredients, and solving real problems for clients — including international clients and large established companies — through our contract research work.

The full journey is yours: literature and patent research, bench development, lab validation, pilot-scale trials at Saykha, and commercial transfer. The scientists who join now will shape the Innovation Cell and grow into its leadership as it becomes a full-fledged Innovation Centre.

ROLE SUMMARY

- Levels: Scientist (3–5 years) and Junior Scientist (0–2 years) — one team, two entry points
- Location: Surat (Innovation Lab), with regular pilot trials at the Saykha (Bharuch) plant
- Reports to: R&D; Lead / Director
- Key interfaces: Director, Production, Quality, Sales, external clients (domestic and international), institutes and analytical laboratories
- Scope: New ingredient development and contract research — from literature to lab to pilot to commercial scale, under strict confidentiality of client and company IP
- Employment: Full-time

WHAT YOU WILL DO

You own projects end to end. Every scientist runs several of these in parallel — multitasking across projects is the normal state here, not the exception.

1. Encapsulation and particle engineering

- Design and develop spray-dried encapsulation and microencapsulation systems for nutraceutical actives — improving solubility, dispersibility, stability, masking and delivery
- Work hands-on with spray drying, fluid bed coating and agglomeration, emulsion design and wall-material selection
- Develop controlled and sustained-release ingredient systems on the encapsulation platform

1. Current ingredient development

- Create new functional ingredients across hydrocolloids, specialty fibers and protein systems that solve real problems for the food and nutraceutical industry
- Think differently: challenge the obvious route, propose better ones,



and defend them with data

1. Contract research for clients

- Take client problem statements and deliver solutions — feasibility at the bench, demonstration at pilot scale, and transfer to commercial scale
- Work with international clients and large companies: technical discussions, trial design, application dossiers, data packages and samples
- Handle client IP and company IP with complete integrity — confidentiality here is non-negotiable and contractual

1. Research to reality

- Mine scientific literature and patents independently; convert findings into structured lab trial plans and design-of-experiments
- Execute bench formulation, run pilot campaigns at Saykha on industrial-scale equipment, and document every step — lab notebooks, trial reports and SOPs that turn experiments into intellectual property
- Run analytical characterization: particle size, viscosity/rheology, solubility and dispersibility, moisture/water activity, stability

1. Food safety by design

- Develop with GMP, HACCP and FSSC-aligned practice from the first trial, so new products reach the plant compliant on day one
- Work with Quality on specifications, validation and regulatory files for every new development

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS

By 90 days

- Running trials independently in the lab: equipment mastered, documentation discipline in place, first literature-to-trial-plan cycle completed
- Contributing to at least two live projects from the innovation or contract-research pipeline

By 6 months

- At least one development taken from bench proof-of-concept to a successful pilot trial at Saykha
- Owning the technical work stream of a client project, including data presented to the client’s team

By 12 months

- A development you worked on is sampled by customers or moving to commercial scale
- An invention disclosure, patent input or technical dossier carries your contribution
- You are learning beyond the current scope — fermentation, separation and other processing areas we are building toward

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Smart, creative minds from India’s best food and dairy institutes who want their work to become real products, fast.

Education:

- M.Tech / M.Sc in Food Technology, Food Process Engineering, Dairy Technology/Science,



or Biotechnology (B.Tech from a top institute considered for the junior level)
- We are especially keen on graduates of CSIR-CFTRI Mysuru, ICT Mumbai (UDCT), NIFTEM-Kundli, NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT), NDRI Karnal, SMC College of Dairy Science (AAU, Anand), and IIT food engineering programs
- Graduates of other colleges with the hunger to grow are also most welcome — we hire for capability and drive, not the name on the degree.

Experience:

- Scientist (3–5 yrs): hands-on spray drying, encapsulation, or ingredient/application development; at least one project taken from lab toward pilot or plant scale
- Junior Scientist (0–2 yrs): strong fundamentals and genuine hunger to master encapsulation and particle engineering; exceptional fresh graduates welcome

Competencies that matter here:

- Thinks differently — questions the standard approach and proposes creative, workable alternatives
- A builder — enjoys converting an idea on paper into a product in hand, from concept to reality
- Self-driven researcher — reads literature and patents without being asked, and designs experiments from them
- Multitasker — comfortable running parallel projects with shifting priorities in a founder-led environment where structure is still being built
- Trustworthy — understands that working with client and company IP demands discretion and integrity at all times
- Sound working knowledge of food safety (GMP, HACCP, FSSC) and documentation discipline
- Curious beyond the brief — eager to grow into fermentation, separation technologies and future processing areas as we expand
- Communicates clearly in English with clients, Directors and plant teams

WHY JOIN SDC

- Build, not maintain: you join an Innovation Cell at its founding; the lab, the methods and the pipeline will carry your fingerprints
- The whole journey: most R&D; roles give you one piece of a large machine; here you take projects from literature to lab to pilot to commercial scale
- Direct access to leadership: you work with the Director and R&D; Lead daily — decisions on trials, equipment and projects happen in days, not quarters
- Global exposure early: our products and contract research serve clients in the US, EU and Asia; you present to international technical teams early in your career
- A growing platform: SDC is moving from a single-ingredient specialist to a multi-product ingredient, innovation and contract-research platform — your role grows with it, on a defined ladder toward senior R&D; leadership
- Learning as policy: conference participation, continuous learning support, relocation assistance, and incentives for patents and publications (program being formalised)

📌 R&D Scientist – Encapsulation & Ingredient Innovation (Surat)
🏢 Spray Drying and Chemicals
📍 Surat