Materials Engineer

Materials Engineer

Our materials engineering researchers work directly with multi-disciplinary project teams to understand key manufacturing and product challenges and determine how material developments and surface treatment technologies can be used to solve them. This includes problem assessment, material development & characterization, application development and testing, prototyping, and more. Our team members are an integral part of the Center eco-system, contributing to a dynamic environment of multiple projects, collaborating with colleagues from various internal operating companies, university faculty & students, suppliers, and other applied research centers.

As Materials Engineer, you will provide team guidance founded on a theoretical basis tempered by industrial experiences to shape durable solutions. You will contribute to the Center leadership helping to shape the methodologies and processes utilized across a broad spectrum of materials.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals experiencing disability and BIPOC are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Qualifications:

PhD/MS - Degree in Materials Engineering, Mechanical, Chemical, or similar engineering/science background. Polymer focus.

5 years experience

Minimum Knowledge / Skills:

• Polymer material engineer, chemist, physicist, or scientist with preferable experience in coatings, adhesives, plastics, and composites.
• Material formulation, synthesis, or fabrication (application) skills or knowledge are desirable.
• Knowledge and experience of material product and/or process development/design preferable.
• Knowledgeable or experienced in the application methods of materials, spray, dispensing, extrusion, printing, molding, lamination etc. and the corresponding equipment.
• Knowledge or experience of surface treatments and cleaning techniques such as plasma, flame annealing, UV-ozone, sonication etc.
• Knowledgeable or experienced in coupon material level testing of plastics, thermosets, adhesives and coating, such as but not exclusively, lap shear, tensile pin, flexural, tensile strength cross hatch, Taber abrasion, cyclic testing etc. (ASTM and or industrial testing standards)
• Experienced or knowledgeable in material characterization and failure analysis techniques (e.g., FESEM, optical microscopy, TGA, DMA, DSC, etc.) and how to interpret such results. Does not need to be a characterization specialist.
• Experience in developing, conducting, or analyzing product and material level reliability testing such as accelerated ageing, failure testing and chemical resistance. Able to interpret results and make material level composition and application (processing) suggestions.
• Solid experience with Excel, Minitab, MS Teams, PowerPoint, and a programming language (FORTRAN, Python, etc.).
• Any experience with finite element or molecular modeling is beneficial.
• Has experience of working cross functionally with original equipment manufacturers, consumer facing product companies, external academic research partners and material/chemical supply chain vendors.
• Skilled in both holistic and linear problem-solving styles and can switch between the two operating styles depending on the task.
• Experience of working on science projects and engineering projects.
• Experienced in working on short and long-term projects.
• Experience of working on existing or new products/materials which were commercial or commercialized. (Preferable)
• Strong background and interest in material innovation and development for industrial applications.
• Experience leading diverse project teams. Effective communicator with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; clearly conveys ideas at both technical and non-technical levels; must be an active listener.

Essential Functions:

• Excels at problem definition; able to work effectively with open ended or complex problem statements and/or applications and be comfortable in adapting strategies according to results.
• Transform customer specifications into exploratory projects leading to proof-of-concept and then prototype product and process designs.
• Forecast and plan for the effect a new product or material development will have on manufacturing, operations, and material/chemical supply chain when ready for commercialization.
• Design factory automation to implement materials development into fabrication processes.
• Collaborate with Mechanical/Product Design, Systems, and Manufacturing Engineers to optimize system performance.
• Genuine enthusiasm for the application of research to adding value to manufacturing processes and product development.
• Approaches work with a collaborative, team first mentality; proactive, positive with a can-do attitude.
• Employ best engineering practices in the conception, design, and analysis of material solutions.
• Maintain a safe working environment and utilize safe work practices in the office, manufacturing spaces, and at production facilities.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to work on projects from the research stage right through development until handoff to manufacturing and operations teams.
• Communicate to and understand the perspective of a wide range of stakeholders from Marketing, Capital Investment, Business Development, Reliability, Global Supply Chain, R&D, Product Development/Design, Manufacturing, Quality Control, Operations etc...
• Contribute to the technology transfer from lab to production environment.
• Interfacing with other research institutions for sponsored research.
• Promote problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• An effective steward of project budgets and schedules.
• Contribute to the development of the group through mentorship.
• Provide explanations on polymer materials and the processes to which they are made, applied, and fabricated as an internal Subject Matter Expert
• Collaborate and support internal operating companies and partners throughout project lifecycle.
• Establish and maintain a network within the internal operating companies and collaborative partners.