Chemist I - Functionalization Scale-Up

Kunin Technologies•Chattanooga, TN

2d•$90,000 - $110,000

About The Position

Kunin Technologies is hiring a Chemist I to scale up functionalization chemistry that converts base polymers into ion-exchange media. The work will take established gram-scale recipes to kilogram batches and the mini-pilot, preserving ion-exchange capacity and product uniformity at production rates. Functionalization involves reacting activated polymer in a bath, converting it, washing and drying it, and testing the finished media. The Chemist I will lead the functionalization scale-up program at the bench and on the mini-pilot. The role investigates how reagent concentration, temperature, residence time, bath age and pickup affect capacity, conversion and uniformity; establishes operating windows for larger batches and longer bath life; develops washing and drying processes to meet residual-reagent and moisture specifications; and prepares recipes, SOPs and QC methods for transfer to the demonstration line. The position runs campaigns with laboratory technicians and the analytical chemist and closes reagent, water and waste balances. The role reports to the Lead Organic Chemist and is part of the Ion-Exchange Manufacturing team in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The team aims to deliver the demonstration line by the end of 2027, with kilogram-scale recipes, established bath-life and reagent make-up limits, defined wash and dry operating windows and residual specifications, and validated QC methods for media release. The demonstration line is intended to provide the basis for a future greenfield manufacturing facility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or chemical engineering.
1–3 years of hands-on laboratory experience.
Good foundation in organic and polymer chemistry and comfort running multi-step reactions on solid polymers.
Experience handling aggressive chemistry, such as acids, bases, reactive reagents, organic solvents or inert-atmosphere work.
Practitioner of designed experiments with measured control of concentration, temperature, residence time and pickup.
Competence with titration, ion-exchange capacity measurement, moisture analysis and clear experimental write-ups.
Comfort with Excel or Python for data analysis.
Creative problem-solving ability to turn bench results into recipes a production line can run.
Must be a U.S. citizen.

Responsibilities

Scale functionalization reactions from bench work to kilogram batches and the mini-pilot, establishing reagent concentration, temperature, residence time, bath age and pickup windows.
Run designed experiments on capacity, conversion and uniformity; identify the variables that control each and determine operating windows that hold at scale.
Develop post-reaction conversion, washing and drying steps, including conversion kinetics, rinse-water quality, residual-reagent limits and drying profiles.
Establish bath-life, reagent make-up and recycle limits for continuous operation.
Run bench and mini-pilot campaigns with laboratory technicians and the analytical chemist, and close reagent, water and waste mass balances.
Build and validate QC methods for degree of functionalization, ion-exchange capacity, within- and between-batch uniformity, and release testing.
Write recipes, operating windows, SOPs and hazard reviews, and hand the package to the Polymer Process Engineer for the demonstration line.