Senior Materials Scientist / Senior Materials Engineer
About The Position
Oxylus Energy is a climate-tech company developing electrochemical technology that converts carbon dioxide into low-carbon fuels and chemicals. The Senior Materials Scientist / Senior Materials Engineer will lead development of the company’s proprietary catalysts, electrodes, membranes, and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for CO₂ electrolyzers, and own the materials roadmap for their area. This includes setting development priorities, designing experiments, and ensuring materials are high quality, reproducible, and ready to scale. The role applies expertise in the relationship between material structure and properties and electrochemical performance and durability to diagnose failure modes and improve cell performance. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the electrochemistry team, mentor junior scientists and engineers, and present findings and recommendations to technical colleagues, leadership, and stakeholders. The position is on-site in Branford, Connecticut. The hire must be willing to relocate to the Bridgeport/Stamford area within one year of the start date.
Requirements
- Degree in materials science and engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, or a related field.
- Relevant experience at one of these levels: B.S. with 6+ years, M.S. with 4+ years, or Ph.D. with 2+ years.
- Extensive hands-on experience developing catalysts, carbon-based materials, polymers, or membranes for electrochemical devices.
- Deep knowledge of materials characterization techniques and the ability to interpret their results.
- Track record of independently leading research or development projects from concept to results.
- Experience mentoring or supervising junior team members.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Willingness to relocate to the Bridgeport/Stamford area within one year of the start date.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in CO₂ or water electrolysis.
- Experience scaling up materials or electrode fabrication processes.
- Familiarity with electrochemical testing.
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, fabrication, characterization, and optimization of catalysts and electrodes for CO₂ electrolysis.
- Develop and qualify membrane conditioning and MEA fabrication processes, and establish specifications and quality controls.
- Characterize materials using imaging, chemical, and physical methods and connect results to electrochemical performance.
- Identify material and component degradation and failure mechanisms, and develop material-level solutions to improve performance.
- Design experimental plans, including design-of-experiments (DOE) studies, and use results to guide materials development.
- Scale up materials preparation from laboratory batches toward larger-format cells and transfer procedures to other team members.
- Maintain standard operating procedures to ensure reproducibility.
- Mentor and train junior team members.
- Present findings and recommendations to the technical team, leadership, and stakeholders.
- Lead maintenance and troubleshooting of materials-preparation equipment and analytical instruments.
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Medical coverage
- Dental coverage
- Vision coverage
- Paid sick days
- Vacation
- 401(k) match
- Diverse and inclusive work environment
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
