9.3. Senior R&D Scientist -Electrochemist

Phoenix Tailings•Woburn, MA

About The Position

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world’s first fully clean mining and metals production company—unlocking the materials required for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing while eliminating waste and emissions from mining. At Phoenix, we believe nothing great is ever accomplished alone—or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. You’ll be joining a team building the foundational infrastructure for the modern world, developing entirely new ways to produce rare earth and critical metals domestically, cleanly, and at scale. Phoenix Tailings is looking for a Senior R&D Electrochemist to develop and advance electrochemical systems that enable cleaner, more efficient production of critical metals. This role will help drive the core science behind Phoenix Tailings’ clean metals platform by designing experiments, improving electrochemical performance, and translating lab-scale results into scalable process improvements. You will play a direct role in building the technology needed to produce the critical materials that power the future.

Requirements

PhD in Electrochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related field.
2–3+ years of experience in electrochemical R&D, electrochemical process development, electrowinning, electrorefining, electrodeposition, batteries, fuel cells, corrosion, or related applied electrochemistry.
Hands-on experience designing, building, operating, and troubleshooting electrochemical cells or electrochemical test systems.
Strong understanding of electrochemical kinetics, thermodynamics, mass transport, electrode interfaces, electrolyte behavior, and electrochemical characterization.
Experience developing or optimizing electrochemical systems with attention to current efficiency, energy efficiency, product purity, stability, and scalability.
Proficiency with electrochemical testing equipment, potentiostats/galvanostats, data acquisition systems, and electrochemical analysis methods.
Ability to design rigorous experiments, interpret complex electrochemical data, and translate results into actionable process improvements.
Experience working safely with chemical systems, electrolytes, electrodes, metals, and laboratory-scale electrochemical equipment.

Responsibilities

Design and execute electrochemical experiments to improve recovery, refining, and production of critical metals and rare earth elements.
Develop and optimize electrochemical processes, including cell design, electrolyte composition, electrode materials, current efficiency, voltage efficiency, and product quality.
Evaluate electrochemical performance under process-relevant conditions, including kinetics, mass transport, selectivity, stability, and degradation behavior.
Use electroanalytical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, linear sweep voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and related methods to guide process development.
Characterize electrodes, electrolytes, intermediates, and final products using analytical tools that support process understanding and performance improvement.
Build structure-performance and process-performance relationships that connect operating conditions to yield, purity, energy consumption, and scalability.
Identify failure modes in electrochemical systems and develop practical solutions to improve reliability, efficiency, and long-term operation.
Convert experimental data into clear technical recommendations that advance Phoenix Tailings’ clean metals production technology.