Research Scientist: Department of Defense Research Center - UTK

University of Tennessee • Knoxville, TN

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Research Scientist (Metallurgy) conducts applied and fundamental research involving alloy development, heat treatments, and advanced manufacturing of metallic components for defense applications. This role operates within UT’s Defense Research Center, collaborating with government, industry, and academic partners to advance DoD-funded materials initiatives. This position is responsible for leading and supporting fundamental and applied research in physical and mechanical metallurgy with a focus on advanced manufacturing methods for metallic systems in support of Department of Defense–funded initiatives. The scientist will conduct research on microstructure–process–property relationships, heat treatment strategies, and alloy development for a range of metallic materials—including aluminum alloys, high-strength steels, and refractory metals such as tungsten and molybdenum—and will qualify and optimize these materials for use in defense-critical components fabricated via Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD), Cold Spray, and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). This is a grant-funded position and contingent on the continued funding of the grant.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related Engineering disciplines
• 3 years of experience in metallurgy including heat treatments, microstructural characterization, and mechanical testing
• Knowledge of operation and ability to conduct heat treatment processes.
• Knowledge and operation of materials characterization techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, EBSD, XRD, microhardness testing, and mechanical evaluation (tensile, compression, fatigue).
• Technical writing skills for proposal, report, and manuscript preparation.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative relationship skills

Nice To Haves

• Doctoral Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related Engineering disciplines
• 1 year or more experience in CNC machining.
• 1 year or more experience with structured light scanners, coordinate measuring machines, optical profilometers.
• 1 year or more experience with additive manufacturing processes for metals
• Knowledge of operation and ability to use CNC machining for part production and experiments.
• Knowledge of operation and ability to use wire electrical discharge machining for part production.
• Knowledge of operation and ability to use and interpret results of measurements performed using structured light scanners, coordinate measuring machines, optical profilometers.
• Knowledge of operation and ability to use additive manufacturing techniques and in-situ monitoring for metal and hybrid materials components.
• Ability to perform experiments for model development

Responsibilities

• The scientist designs and executes metallurgical experiments on aluminum, steel, and refractory metal systems
• develops and applies heat-treatment schedules to tailor microstructures
• characterizes materials using techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, EBSD, XRD, microhardness testing, and mechanical evaluations.
• They also develop and validate analytical and computational models, support qualification of AFSD, WAAM, and Cold Spray processes, mentor students and partners, and manage laboratory equipment, safety protocols, and research operations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level