Materials Engineer, Fibers and Composites

1X Technologies AS•Palo Alto, CA

15d•Onsite

About The Position

Since its founding in 2015, 1X has been at the forefront of developing advanced humanoid robots designed for household use. Our mission is to create an abundant supply of labor through safe, intelligent humanoids. We strive for excellence in all we do, solving some of the hardest problems in robotics with the world’s most talented individuals. Every part of our robots is designed and produced in house, from motor coils to AI, reflecting our vertically integrated approach. At 1X, you will own real projects, be recognized for your achievements, and be rewarded based on merit. We are seeking a Soft Materials Modeling, Simulation and Testing Engineer with a passion for soft matter, complex deformation behavior, and advanced computational modeling. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer who enjoys building predictive models and validating them through rigorous experiments. You will work at the frontier of stretchable sensors, soft skins, compliant structures, composites, and multilayer stacks. You will collaborate closely with researchers in materials science, physics, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, and industrial design to build an integrated understanding of how soft materials behave under real world robotic conditions. Your work will guide early architecture choices, accelerate material development, and ensure reliable transition from concept to product.

Requirements

PhD in polymer science, fiber science, materials science, composites, textiles, or a closely related field.
Strong foundation in polymer and fiber mechanics including viscoelasticity, creep, fatigue, hysteresis, abrasion, and wear.
Hands on experience characterizing polymer fibers or fiber based materials under cyclic load and contact conditions.
Ability to design experiments and interpret long term or accelerated durability and wear data.
Familiarity with fiber surface treatments, sizing, coatings, or finishes and their impact on friction, wear, and fatigue.
Experience with consolidation or impregnation processes for fiber assemblies using elastomeric or polymer matrices.
Understanding of how processing parameters influence crystallinity, orientation, residual stress, and long term creep or fatigue behavior.
Experience working with suppliers or contract manufacturers to define and control fiber or textile processes.
Comfort working in a fast moving, multidisciplinary environment.
Strong communication skills and ability to explain material behavior and wear mechanisms to non materials experts.

Nice To Haves

Hands on experience with polymer fiber extrusion, including melt or solution spinning, drawing, and thermal treatment.
Experience with filament winding for load bearing fiber structures.
Experience with braiding processes including round, flat, and complex braid architectures.
Experience with cable construction including twisting, plying, and laying processes.
Experience with profile extrusion of polymer and composite materials
Experience with calendering processes for films, tapes, or textile reinforced sheets.
Experience with UHMWPE, aramid, or other high performance polymer fibers in abrasive or sliding environments.
Background in aerospace, automotive, energy, or other industries with formal material qualification and lifetime prediction practices.
Familiarity with tribology, noise, and vibration from a materials perspective.

Responsibilities

Develop and characterize polymer fiber based materials and fiber constructions for load bearing and cyclic applications.
Study and control long term material behavior including creep, stress relaxation, fatigue, hysteresis, abrasion, surface damage, and wear in polymer fibers and fiber assemblies.
Evaluate polymer fibers such as UHMWPE, aramids, polyesters, nylons, and other high performance fibers for wear resistance, debris generation, and retention of mechanical properties over time.
Define and study fiber constructions including yarns, rovings, twisted cords, braids and other textile like assemblies as material architectures.
Investigate friction and wear behavior at fiber to fiber and fiber to surface interfaces and assess their impact on noise, vibration, and lifetime.
Develop material level test methods and accelerated aging protocols to predict long term performance, including wear and fatigue driven failure modes.
Collaborate with polymer chemists to understand fiber chemistry, surface treatments, coatings, and sizing effects on friction, wear, and long term durability.
Partner with mechanical design, manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure material behavior, wear limits, and degradation modes are properly accounted for in component design.
Document material properties, wear mechanisms, test methods, lifetime models, and qualification data to support repeatable mass production use.
Stay current with advances in fiber science, tribology, textiles, and structural polymer materials relevant to high cycle, wear sensitive applications.