Senior Composites Engineer

Lyten•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Lyten seeks a Senior Composites Engineer to lead the development of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) formulations that incorporate Lyten’s proprietary 3D Graphene™ materials. The role is the technical link between materials synthesis, product engineering, and internal and external manufacturing teams. Its primary objective is to formulate, scale, and deliver manufacturable resin systems for prepreg, resin transfer molding (RTM), and similar composite manufacturing processes. This is an applied commercial product-development position focused on taking materials from laboratory development into scaled manufacturing, rather than fundamental academic research. The engineer will develop polymer matrix systems and optimize their properties and processing characteristics for high-performance composite applications. The position involves cross-functional collaboration, process scale-up, experimental design, material characterization, troubleshooting, and validation against product specifications. Periodic travel to other facilities, customer visits, and trade shows is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Composite Engineering, or a related field and 5+ years of experience; or a master’s degree and 3+ years of experience; or a PhD and 1+ year of experience.
Direct, hands-on commercial product-development experience in the composites or polymers industry; purely academic or postdoctoral research does not satisfy this requirement.
Deep understanding of polymer chemistry, resin formulation, and composite matrix design.
Direct experience formulating materials for prepreg manufacturing, RTM, or similar advanced composite processing methods.
Strong knowledge of interactions among carbon fiber reinforcements, sizing, and polymer matrices.
Ability to translate technical material data into actionable manufacturing guidelines for diverse teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience dispersing nanomaterials, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, into polymer matrices.
Proven track record taking a composite material product from initial concept through commercialization and mass production.
Experience with advanced lightweight structures in the aerospace, automotive, or sporting goods industries.

Responsibilities

Design and formulate polymer matrix systems, including epoxies, thermoplastics, and advanced thermosets, incorporating Lyten 3D Graphene™ to enhance CFRP mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.
Optimize resin rheology, tack, out-life, and cure kinetics for prepreg manufacturing and automated layup processes.
Create and communicate project documentation, timelines, and results through presentations to internal teams.
Collaborate with the internal materials team to refine nanomaterial functionalization and dispersion techniques.
Partner with product teams to define material specifications based on end-user mechanical and environmental requirements.
Work with end-product manufacturing teams to ensure formulations are compatible with existing prepreg, towpreg, or liquid molding production lines.
Travel periodically to other facilities, customer visits, and trade shows.
Transition formulations from bench-top R&D to pilot scale and high-volume commercial manufacturing.
Develop and execute design of experiments (DoE) to optimize formulation processing parameters.
Oversee thermal, rheological, and mechanical testing, including DMA, DSC, TGA, rheometry, and tensile, flexural, and impact testing.
Characterize and troubleshoot material- and process-related manufacturing defects, including voids, poor wet-out, and delamination.