Process Scientist

MacroCycle Technologies•Cambridge, MA

10h

About The Position

MacroCycle is developing its SolvoGenesis™ technology to recycle textile waste into high-quality polyester fibers, helping reduce landfill waste and production emissions and support a circular textile industry. The Process Scientist will join a lean, hands-on R&D team and work directly with the CTO and founders as an early scientific hire. The role will help define experimental processes and advance work from bench-scale research toward real-world customer applications. The scientist will develop chemistries to purify and upgrade blended polyester wastes, design and conduct lab-scale chemical reactions, analyze intermediates and products, and evaluate results to plan and troubleshoot experiments. The role also includes reviewing scientific literature, contributing to grants, patents, and white papers, engaging directly with textile and fashion customers, representing MacroCycle at conferences, and reporting findings to the CTO and broader team.

Requirements

Background in polymer and separation science through academic or industrial R&D.
PhD in Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering.
At least 5 years of hands-on experimental chemistry experience; PhD years count.
Familiarity with polymer purification techniques such as precipitation, filtration, adsorption, liquid/solid separation, and distillation.
Familiarity with analytical techniques such as NMR, GPC, GC, LC-MS, FTIR, ICP, DSC, or MALDI-TOF, and chemistry software such as ChemDraw or MestreNova.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present findings clearly through graphs and slides.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and commitment to careful, high-quality laboratory work.
Ability to interface with technicians, company founders, and customer representatives.
A can-do mindset and enthusiasm for tackling new challenges.

Nice To Haves

Prior textile experience; the company is willing to train the right candidate.
Experience scaling chemical processes from bench-top to pilot or production scale, particularly in polymer purification or separation systems.
Familiarity with PET, spandex, cotton, dyes, or pigments.

Responsibilities

Develop chemistries to purify and upgrade blended polyester wastes supplied by MacroCycle partners and customers.
Design and run lab-scale chemical reactions.
Analyze intermediates and products using appropriate analytical techniques.
Critically evaluate results, identify and troubleshoot challenges, and plan experiments.
Review relevant literature to inform new synthesis approaches.
Collaborate on grants, patents, and white papers.
Engage directly with fashion and textile customers, share results, and lead experimental work to build trust in MacroCycle's technology.
Represent MacroCycle at public or scientific conferences.
Report directly to the CTO and share findings with the broader team.

Benefits

Three weeks of paid time off, increasing to four weeks after year one.
Eight paid holidays and a paid company closure between Christmas and New Year's.
Medical insurance.
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
Commuter stipend.
Annual BlueBikes membership.
Competitive, experience-guided compensation, including equity.
Retirement savings platform.
Regular team lunches and office snacks.
Access to networking events and innovation hubs in the Harvard/MIT area.