Sr. Scientist, Adhesives
About The Position
Lyten is seeking a Senior Scientist, Adhesives to lead the development of next-generation adhesives and thermal material formulations for high-performance industrial applications. The role focuses on building new formulations from raw materials rather than adapting finished adhesive products, and will help shape Lyten’s growing materials portfolio for demanding thermal management applications. This is an applied, commercial product development role spanning the full formulation lifecycle. The scientist will screen and characterize raw materials and fillers, qualify suppliers, develop formulations from first principles, and validate them through stability, mechanical, and performance testing. The role also partners with product management and customers to align formulation direction with market and end-use requirements, and collaborates with process engineering to scale formulations from lab work to pilot and production manufacturing. The position is hands-on and on-site. Candidates should have experience bringing materials from the lab into scaled manufacturing, with a background in raw-material formulation rather than solely academic research or work with finished adhesive products. Compensation is listed as $128,200–$192,400 base salary, with eligibility for a tier-based bonus and equity. Other listed offerings include healthcare, dental and vision coverage, corporate discounts, paid holidays, PTO and sick time, a 401(k), and an employee relocation plan when applicable. Employment is conditioned on required government authorization for access to export-controlled technology, software, and information.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of industry or postdoctoral formulation experience in polymer or adhesives formulation.
- Strong fundamentals in polymer chemistry, rheology, and cure chemistry, including addition-cure or condensation-cure silicones or analogous thermoset or thermoplastic systems.
- Hands-on laboratory experience with formulation, mixing, and characterization equipment, including rheometers, DSC, TGA, and laser flash or thermal conductivity testing.
- Ability to independently design and interpret design of experiments (DOEs).
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and perform general laboratory physical tasks, including standing, bending, and repetitive mixing or dispensing motions, for extended periods.
- Comfort working with solvents and chemical formulations while following standard PPE and fume hood protocols.
- Hands-on, on-site work.
Nice To Haves
- PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, with at least 3 years of industry experience.
- Direct experience formulating thermal interface materials such as gap fillers, pads, greases, or phase-change materials.
- Experience designing and conducting reliability tests and interpreting failure data.
- A track record of troubleshooting formulation or manufacturing issues to identify root causes.
- Familiarity with semiconductor packaging thermal requirements, including CPU/GPU/ASIC cooling and die-attach or heat-spreader interfaces.
- Experience with filler systems such as boron nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, or graphite, including dispersion and loading optimization.
- Exposure to scale-up from laboratory to pilot or production.
Responsibilities
- Formulate and optimize adhesives and thermal solutions, tuning filler loading, dispersion, cure chemistry, and rheology modifiers to meet thermal conductivity, mechanical compliance, and cure-profile specifications.
- Characterize formulations using rheometry, DSC/TGA, thermal conductivity analysis, and mechanical testing, including compression set and hardness testing.
- Design and conduct reliability tests, including thermal cycling, high-temperature/high-humidity aging, pump-out resistance, and reflow exposure; interpret failures against end-use requirements.
- Lead root-cause troubleshooting of formulation issues raised by customers, QA, or manufacturing, and develop corrective formulation changes.
- Develop new thermal interface material (TIM) formulations and chemistries, from initial concept through lab-scale proof of formulation.
- Collaborate with process engineering to scale lab formulations to pilot and production batches, adjusting for mixing, dispensing, and cure equipment constraints.
- Work with product management and customers to translate semiconductor thermal requirements at die, package, and system levels into formulation specifications.
- Provide feedback and specifications to the materials team by translating product goals into material requirements.
- Document formulations, test protocols, and results; support intellectual-property capture and patent filings.
- Provide regular technical updates on formulation progress, test results, and troubleshooting outcomes.
- Stay current on thermal interface material, adhesive, and thermal management literature and the competitive landscape.
Benefits
- Tier-based bonus and equity eligibility.
- Healthcare coverage.
- Dental insurance.
- Vision insurance.
- Corporate discounts.
- Paid holidays.
- PTO and sick time.
- 401(k).
- Employee relocation plan, if applicable.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
