Sr. Scientist

Apogee Enterprises, Inc.•McKees Rocks, PA

About The Position

Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: APOG), was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Apogee is a growing, profitable company with annual revenues approaching $1.5 billion. We provide distinctive metal and glass solutions for enclosing commercial buildings, and glass and acrylic solutions for picture framing and display applications. To learn more visit: www.apog.com. The Apogee Performance Surfaces segment has grown from $100M to $200M in revenue through a recent acquisition. Our brands in the Performance Surfaces portfolio develop and manufacture high-performance coated materials for a variety of applications, including wall décor, museums, graphic design, architectural interiors, digital display, and industrial flooring markets. We are the global leader in anti-reflective, conservation grade electrostatic dissipative, high-definition, and abrasion resistance coatings, that provide protection, innovative designs, and exceptional durability. Position Summary The Senior Scientist – Radiation Curable Coatings is a technical leader within the R&D organization, responsible for the design, formulation, and commercialization of UV/EB-curable coatings through a deep understanding of structure–property–performance relationships, coating–substrate interactions, application-method-driven formulation requirements, and gloss control mechanisms. This role combines hands-on formulation chemistry with project leadership, technical mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration to advance the company’s innovation pipeline and core technologies.

Requirements

PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science.
5–10+ years of industrial experience in UV/EB-curable coatings including free-radical, EB, cationic, or dual-cure systems.
Demonstrated expertise in structure–property–performance relationships.
Proven experience with low-gloss or matte coatings.
Experience with multiple substrates and coating application methods.
Track record of leading technical projects to commercialization.
Familiarity with rheology, FTIR cure monitoring, DMA, surface roughness, and gloss measurement.
Prior experience mentoring or leading chemists and technicians.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and formulation of UV/EB-curable coatings (acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cationic, hybrid systems).
Apply deep understanding of structure–property relationships to optimize adhesion, hardness, flexibility, chemical resistance, weatherability, optical properties, cure response, and gloss level.
Design coatings for and troubleshoot adhesion to wood, glass, acrylic, vinyl, aluminum, and steel.
Develop and optimize low-gloss and matte coatings using controlled incompatibility, surface topology control, matting agents, phase separation, and cure kinetics.
Formulate coatings compatible with roll coating, spray, curtain coating, vacuum coating, and flow/slot-die coating.
Establish relationships between molecular structure, formulation, processing conditions, substrate characteristics, and surface morphology.
Troubleshoot formulation, application, gloss, adhesion, and scale-up challenges.
Define technical objectives, experimental plans, and success criteria aligned with business and application needs.
Communicate progress, risks, and tradeoffs to cross-functional stakeholders.
Ensure formulations are robust, scalable, and deliver consistent appearance and performance.
Mentor junior and mid-level chemists in formulation strategy, gloss control, and application-aware formulation.
Promote best practices in experimental design, data quality, and documentation.
Collaborate with application engineering, manufacturing, quality, sales, and customers.