Catalysis Scientist

Susteon Inc. • Morrisville, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Susteon is seeking a Catalysis Scientist to lead the lab-bench aspects of an industrial catalyst-discovery program focused on heterogeneous catalysis for renewable fuels. This role involves end-to-end ownership of catalyst synthesis, characterization, and reaction-product analysis. The scientist will collaborate directly with the platform team to provide structured, ML-ready data. While the immediate scope is the catalyst-discovery program, this position is crucial for anchoring Susteon's broader materials pipeline (EcoSolvent, EcoCatalyst, EcoSorbent, EcoReactor) and supporting platform partnerships. The successful candidate will also play a role in shaping the future growth of the bench team.

Requirements

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science with 4+ years of heterogeneous catalyst R&D experience, or an MS with 8+ years of directly relevant industrial or national-lab experience.
• Strong hands-on experience in diverse catalyst synthesis methods: precipitation, impregnation, supported and bulk systems.
• Proficiency in transferring target compositions to tested catalysts quickly and reproducibly.
• Solid, hands-on experience with the standard catalyst-characterization suite (XRD, BET, TPR/TPD, chemisorption, XPS) and the ability to interpret results.
• Understanding of high-pressure fixed-bed reactor operation and process-safety competence.
• Rigorous, well-documented experimental practices, with a strong focus on capturing and utilizing negative results as data.
• Commitment to maintaining laboratory safe-practices and working environments.

Nice To Haves

• Background in Fischer-Tropsch or syngas-conversion catalyst development.
• Experience in hydrodeoxygenation, hydrotreating, or biomass-derived oxygenate upgrading.
• Familiarity with kinetic modeling, Bayesian experimental design, or active learning in a closed-loop lab setting.
• Experience collaborating with computational or ML teams and working with structured data systems (SQL, time-series, or scientific data platforms).
• Proven track record of delivering industrial or government-funded programs against milestones.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize heterogeneous inorganic catalysts, specifically iron-based Fischer-Tropsch systems and non-noble-metal hydrodeoxygenation catalysts.
• Manage the complete characterization workflow, including XRD, BET surface area, TPR/TPD, CO chemisorption, XPS (in-house or with external partners), TGA, and TEM. Post-reaction characterization is a key responsibility.
• Input all experimental results, including negative outcomes, into the Experimental Materials Platform (EMP) in a machine-learning-ready format.
• Support the scale-up synthesis (100 g) and bench-pilot demonstration of leading catalyst candidates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior