Junior Polymer Chemist

Ashland Inc.

89d

About The Position

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Junior Polymer Chemist to join our Specialty Additives business at our Wilmington, DE location. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company and the R&D function. This position will report to Senior / Staff Scientist for Specialty Additives Wilmington lab.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials/Polymer Science or equivalent years of experience.
• 2–5 years experience in polymerization, organic chemistry, or specialty chemicals.
• Familiarity with reaction operations (mixing, feeds, temperature control), emulsions/colloids, and basic data analysis; strong organization and attention to detail.
• Effective teamwork and communication with a constructive, learning mindset.
• Demonstrated responsible and ethical behavior at all times.
• The ability to help the company drive greater value through understanding the business, making complex decisions and creating the new and different.

Nice To Haves

• Hands on emulsion polymerization (lab or pilot scale) for acrylic, styrene acrylic, VAE, or related systems.
• Practical use of latex characterization tools (DLS/particle size, zeta potential, solids, viscosity, coagulum) and analytical (GC for residual monomer, DSC for Tg).
• Exposure to DOE/statistics (e.g., Minitab/Design Expert) and reproducibility planning.
• Comfort with SOPs/EHS for hazardous monomers and peroxides; good lab housekeeping.
• Understanding of coating systems and additive functions in waterborne systems (wetting/flow & leveling, defoaming, dispersion, rheology).

Responsibilities

• Plan & execute EP reactions (batch/semi batch/starve fed) in lab reactors; set up pre emulsions, feeds, and initiator dosing; manage temperature profiles and exotherms.
• Screen process additives (surfactants/emulsifier packages, protective colloids, defoamers, buffers, chain transfer agents, redox initiators) to determine effective dosage windows and process robustness.
• Operate equipment: glass/stainless reactors, feed pumps, temperature controllers, nitrogen purging, filtration; follow SOPs for start up/shut down and cleaning.
• Characterize latexes: solids, particle size/PSD (e.g., DLS), viscosity, pH, coagulum/filterable solids, zeta potential/stability; as needed, residual monomer (e.g., GC), Tg (DSC), gel fraction.
• Analyze & document: maintain lab notebook/spreadsheets; ensure traceable raw data, calculations, and observations; write concise summaries and slides.
• Collaborate & communicate with senior scientists on experimental design, DOE screens, and scale up handoffs; deliver results on time.
• Lead with EHS & quality: chemical hygiene, PPE, waste handling, 5S, and risk controls for hazardous monomers and peroxides.
• Actively contribute to the organizational goals by taking initiative, executing on goals and focusing on performance and safety.
• Improve the organization capacity and capabilities through building collaborative relationships, optimizing diverse talent and utilizing positive communications and influence with others.

Benefits

• Industry competitive salary and benefits.
• Pay-for-performance incentive plans.
• A diverse work environment where employees feel challenged and valued.
• Opportunities for development and advancement throughout our global organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees