Assessing current and future needs for workforce development in cellular agriculture

The production of animal proteins ex vivo using approaches in cellular agriculture has potential to meet expanding global demands for sustainable and nutritious foods. Growth in the field of cellular agriculture is reflected by the emergence of companies focused on supporting the cultivation of cell-based and acellular products from animal and microbial cell lines. Accelerating research and development in cellular agriculture requires an interdisciplinary workforce that is fluent across disciplines including science, engineering, law, ethics, and behavioral science. PhD graduates who are trained in research projects specific to cellular agriculture are now emerging, but there is still a shortage of a skilled workforce that meets industry demands. Using three complementary theoretical models—human capital theory, skill formation theory and the triple helix model, and the actiotope model—we developed a framework to understand industry needs. We used this framework to develop and launch a survey for 18 cellular agriculture companies to assess their current and future workforce requirements, including the disciplinary backgrounds of future employees they are seeking to achieve their goals. We then analyzed the survey data, contextualized the findings, and summarized short-term and long-term strategies to identify educational pathways and resources that could produce candidates with cellular agriculture training and industry-readiness that match current and anticipated industry needs.