Senior Scientist - Battery Materials - Billerica, MA Onsite

Cabot Corporation • Billerica, MA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Cabot Corporation is seeking a Senior Scientist to join its Battery Materials team at the Billerica, Massachusetts Technology Center. This is an independent technical contributor role leading battery-materials research and electrochemical evaluation programs of moderate to high complexity and business impact. The role develops mechanistic understanding of how materials, formulation, interfaces, and electrode structure affect cell performance, then translates experimental findings into material design rules, product and application recommendations, intellectual property, and customer-relevant technical solutions. Professional proficiency in Korean is strongly preferred to support collaboration with Korea-based customers, partners, and industry stakeholders.

The Senior Scientist leads research programs and defines objectives, success criteria, hypotheses, experimental strategies, resources, risks, and decision points. The work includes designing statistically sound studies; developing and validating electrochemical methods; evaluating cell performance; interpreting electrochemical results alongside physical, chemical, structural, rheological, dispersion, and electrode characterization; and maintaining rigorous standards for cell quality, repeatability, data integrity, traceability, and statistical interpretation. The scientist partners across research, product and process development, manufacturing, marketing, Sales/Technical Service, external laboratories, and customer teams to translate laboratory findings into scalable specifications, formulation guidance, processing windows, and product value propositions.

The position also involves technical reporting and presentations, selected customer-facing exchanges, literature and patent monitoring, invention disclosures and patent applications, and day-to-day technical guidance and training for project team members and external partners. The role requires maintaining safe laboratory operations and complying with SH&E procedures, standards, and regulations, while supporting the Responsible Care® Management System as applicable to the site or region.

The position is onsite in Billerica, Massachusetts. The stated pay range is $128,300 to $186,100; actual compensation depends on skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Benefits begin on the first day of employment and include health benefits, 401(k) savings plans, vision and dental coverage, and an annual bonus based on company performance. Cabot also describes training, peer coaching, growth opportunities, a collaborative team environment, and a competitive benefits package.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in electrochemistry, materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline, generally with 2+ years of relevant industrial or applied research experience; OR a master's degree in a related technical discipline, generally with 6+ years of relevant experience; OR a bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline, generally with 10+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated battery-materials R&D and hands-on electrochemical testing experience.
• Deep knowledge of lithium-ion battery materials and electrochemistry, with ability to connect material chemistry and electrode structure to cell-level performance.
• Hands-on expertise in electrode formulation and processing and electrochemical cell testing.
• Experience with experimental design, cell-assembly quality, formation protocols, cycling-data analysis, and failure-mode troubleshooting.
• Strong command of electrochemical principles, including thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, mass transport, charge transfer, interfacial phenomena, impedance, polarization, degradation, and performance trade-offs.
• Demonstrated skill in design of experiments, statistical analysis, visualization, and management of large cycling datasets.
• Proficiency with battery-cycler software and analysis tools.
• Ability to assess literature and patents critically, develop mechanistic hypotheses, design discriminating experiments, and synthesize results into actionable technical and business recommendations.

Nice To Haves

• Professional proficiency in Korean to support technical communication and collaboration with Korea-based customers, partners, and industry stakeholders.
• Industrial product-development experience.
• Experience working with battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, energy-storage companies, or strategic technical partners.
• Experience supporting customer interactions in a technology environment and translating technical results into product or application value.
• Experience with one or more battery material classes, such as conductive carbon black, carbon nanotubes or other conductive networks, graphite or silicon-based anodes, cathode active materials, binders, separators, electrolytes, or solid-state interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent research programs addressing complex battery-materials and electrochemistry problems relevant to product development, application development, and commercial growth.
• Define project objectives, technical success criteria, hypotheses, experimental strategy, resource needs, risks, and decision points with R&D management and business partners.
• Design and execute statistically sound studies linking material properties, formulation, processing, electrode architecture, and cell design to electrochemical performance.
• Develop, adapt, and validate electrochemical test methods for screening and mechanistic studies, including relevant cell formats and methods such as formation and cycling, rate capability, pulse-power or fast-charge testing, self-discharge, calendar and cycle-life evaluation, EIS, CV, and GITT as appropriate.
• Interpret electrochemical results with physical, chemical, structural, rheological, dispersion, and electrode characterization data to identify root causes, establish structure-property-performance relationships, and recommend experiments or material changes.
• Apply rigorous controls to cell-build quality, test repeatability, data integrity, sample traceability, and statistical interpretation; communicate uncertainty, limitations, and alternative explanations.
• Partner with synthesis, process, analytical, modeling, application, and manufacturing teams to translate laboratory learning into scalable material specifications, formulation guidance, processing windows, and product value propositions.
• Prepare technical reports, project reviews, presentations, and decision recommendations for R&D leadership, cross-functional business teams, and customers.
• Support selected customer-facing technical exchanges, translating customer cell requirements into test plans, explaining performance trade-offs, and defining follow-up work while protecting confidential information and Cabot intellectual property.
• Monitor scientific and patent literature related to battery materials, conductive additives, electrode design, interfaces, and electrochemical diagnostics; identify invention opportunities and contribute to disclosures and patent applications.
• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and training to scientists, engineers, research associates, technicians, co-ops, or external partners assigned to project work; review experimental quality and promote strong technical documentation.
• Maintain safe laboratory operations and integrate hazard assessment into work involving powders, nanomaterials, solvents, electrolytes, electrode processing, cell assembly, and electrochemical testing.
• Participate in incident and root-cause investigations and continuous SH&E improvement; comply with SH&E procedures, standards, and regulations and support the Responsible Care® Management System as applicable.

Benefits

• Health benefits beginning on the first day of employment.
• 401(k) savings plan.
• Vision coverage.
• Dental coverage.
• Annual bonus based on company performance.
• Training, peer coaching, support, and opportunities for personal and career growth.
• Competitive benefits package and vacation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree