Polymer Formulation Chemist - Academic Graduate Appointee

LLNL•Livermore, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We have an opening for an Academic Graduate Appointee to conduct research in silicone materials development and processing for 3D printing, with a focus on formulation development, 3D printing, curing behavior, and mechanical performance. You will actively participate in research to design, formulate, print, and characterize silicone-based materials for advanced additive manufacturing, with emphasis on integrating automation and data driven workflows to accelerate materials development. This position is in the High Performance Materials group of the Materials Science Division.

Requirements

Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field.
Experience in polymer processing and characterization, such as mixing, formulating, mechanical testing, rheological testing, and thermal testing demonstrated by coursework, training, and/or work experience.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing experimental plans, including troubleshooting complex materials and process variables.
Demonstrated ability to write and use code for data processing, analysis, or experiment control in a research environment.
Ability to develop independent research projects through publication of peer-reviewed literature.
Sufficient verbal and written communication skills as reflected in effective presentations at seminars, meetings and/or teaching lectures.
Initiative and interpersonal skills with desire and ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with silicone chemistry and silicone formulation development (for example, addition cure, condensation cure, fillers, catalysts, inhibitors, surface treatments).
Experience with 3D printing of polymers, especially silicone printing (for example, DIW, extrusion based printing, or related approaches).
Experience with automation (Chemspeed or similar) and/or Python based data workflows, and familiarity with machine learning approaches for materials or process optimization.

Responsibilities

Conduct research related to silicone formulation development for 3D printing, including direct ink writing and other relevant silicone additive manufacturing methods.
Design, execute, and analyze experiments to quantify relationships among rheology, cure kinetics, processing conditions, and final mechanical properties.
Develop and optimize polymer processing workflows, including mixing, compounding, degassing, and printing, to achieve robust, repeatable material performance.
Perform silicone material characterization, including mechanical testing, rheological testing, and thermal testing, and interpret results to guide formulation and process improvements.
Implement and maintain data analysis and coding workflows to manage experimental data, enable reproducibility, and accelerate iteration cycles.
Integrate automation platforms (for example, Chemspeed or similar) into formulation, sample preparation, and testing pipelines to increase throughput and consistency.
Collaborate with scientists in a multidisciplinary team environment to accomplish research goals, including interactions with internal and external collaborators.
Document research, publish papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results within the DOE community and at conferences.
Perform other duties as assigned.