Research Scientist

Sika•Madison Heights, MI

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Sika is a specialty chemical company with a globally leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 103 countries around the world, produces in over 400 factories, and develops innovative technologies for customers worldwide. In doing so, it plays a crucial role in enabling the transformation of the construction and transportation industries toward greater environmental compatibility. Approximately 33,000 employees generated CHF11.20 billion in sales in 2025. This role involves collaborating closely with internal and external team members by sharing experiences and findings and developing next steps. The scientist will be responsible for creating new technologies with a track record of commercial implementations, managing unknown situations, and independently planning and leading product development. They will also routinely recommend new products and technical solutions.

Requirements

MS, or PhD. degree in Chemistry desired
10+ years experience in self-driven work and solving technical challenges.
Excellent oral communication, technical writing skills and presentation skills
Skilled in maintaining and improving safety requirements
Established track record of new product development and launch

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with epoxy adhesives is considered a plus.
Experience in adhesive formulation is considered a plus, especially relevant epoxy and/or urethane experience and interpretation of mechanical and analytical test results
Some supervisory skills

Responsibilities

Independently plan and lead research projects to systematically solve technical challenges to create new technologies and chemical building blocks for sealing/bonding materials
Expand expertise in area of sealing/bonding materials, including chemical interactions, formulation concepts, structure-property relationships, and analytical test methods.
Systematical experimentation using DOE and other statistical methods in evaluating data
Determine and protect intellectual properties and support activities for patent monitoring and filing
Cultivate global collaboration via initiation of internal and external scientific community engagement
Act as an internal consultant/champion for sealing/bonding technology
Provide leadership to researchers
Manufacturing support of product trials, issues, customer questions
Communication with internal and external customers on products in market and under development