A 5-liter bioreactor vessel enables a substantial increase in the volume of biological media that can be cultivated in the vessel compared to conventional designs. Moreover, when agitated at 1.5× the shaking frequency of a conventional 3-liter bioreactor (i.e., 90 rpm versus 60 rpm), the 5-liter vessel achieves a 19% increase in cell aeration without exceeding the maximum shear stress limit for cell viability. The 5-liter vessel optionally includes a plurality of internal baffles configured to disrupt the liquid vortex and reduce the maximum shear stress transferred to biomedia contained within the vessel.