Lead Scientist

• Lead installation, calibration, commissioning, and troubleshooting of core lab equipment to rapidly expand experimental capacity. • Design and execute rigorous design-of-experiments (DOE) programs to optimize graphite growth parameters such as temperature, feedstock composition, residence time, and process conditions. • Identify performance drivers, bottlenecks, and failure modes to continuously improve yield, purity, energy efficiency, and scalability. • Build scalable systems for experimental data collection, storage, and analysis to ensure high-quality, decision-ready insights. • Translate lab results into techno-economic inputs (e.g. cost per kg, energy intensity, throughput) to inform commercialization strategy. • Develop and document SOPs for safe, repeatable, and scalable lab operations. • Co-manage and mentor lab technicians to expand experimental capacity and execution speed. • Train and develop junior technical hires, building a culture of rigor, ownership, and continuous improvement. • Collaborate with external research partners to investigate underlying graphite growth mechanisms and unlock performance improvements. • Work closely with peer R&D scientists and executive leadership to align technical milestones with company strategy and commercial objectives. • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or closely related field • 8+ years of experience in rigorous research and development environments such as university labs, deep tech startups, or corporate research teams. • Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder projects—ideally involving lab environments, infrastructure, tech transfer, or industrial process scale-up. • Strong organizational, strategic, and analytical skills; comfortable toggling between tactical execution and high-level planning. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences. • Demonstrated success working closely with C-level leaders and managing competing priorities. • Technical literacy in engineering, materials science, or chemical processes. • Experience in adjacent industries where similar high-temperature, catalytic, carbon, or materials growth processes are used — such as petrochemicals, advanced ceramics, specialty chemicals, battery materials, semiconductors, metallurgy, or industrial gas processing. • Experience with government grants, compliance reporting, or lab buildouts. • A track record of execution — how you design experiments, make decisions with imperfect data, and drive results matters as much as where you’ve worked. • Comfort operating in both research and production environments; experience in one or both is valuable, but your ability to move science toward application is what counts. • Ownership mentality with high accountability and curiosity. • Entrepreneurial speed balanced with technical discipline. • Grit, resilience, and an ability to turn ambiguity into actionable next steps.