Electrolyte Scientist

Position Scope 

SES has an immediate opening position for an Electrolyte Scientist, who is passionate about mobile energy storage, to create innovative electrolyte materials and systems to enable safe, long cycle life operation of rechargeable, high energy density lithium metal batteries. The Electrolyte Scientist is expected to design, develop, evaluate, and optimize electrolyte materials and formulations meeting performance targets, as well as understanding interactions between electrolyte materials and other cell components during battery cycling and battery storage. The successful candidate is committed and dedicated, responsible, focused, detail-oriented, able to adjust in a fast-paced working environment, collaborate well with other staff members with a shared vision, and demonstrate excellent organizational communication skills.

The position will report to Director, Electrolytes and is based in Woburn, MA

Responsibilities 

• Design and develop electrolyte formulations compatible with Lithium Metal and high voltage (i.e LCO) and high nickel content NMC cathode cell chemistries to achieve a long cycle life safely;
• Design electrolyte systems demonstrating improvements in safety performance, including dimensional stability during battery cycling and storage;
• Demonstrate the ability to use fundamental physical chemistry concepts and experimental techniques to provide promising electrolyte formulation strategies;
• Ability to independently plan, execute, manage and communicate progress on projects;
• Provide technical assessment on existing electrolyte systems, additives, lithium salts in high energy, high-capacity rechargeable lithium metal cells;
• Fully characterize coin and pouch cell performance using new materials and formulations utilizing electrochemical testing and analytical techniques to understand reaction mechanisms, failure modes, and potential benefits;
• Teardown analysis of lithium metal cells to increase understanding of failure modes and characterization of cell components to investigate reaction mechanisms in particular chemistries;
• Support product development as required for the prototype-manufacturing team.

Specific Skills/Abilities 

• An ability to communicate new concepts and draw insight from discussions with coworkers;
• Expertise and hands-on experience in high purity chemicals and impacts on device performance and manufacturing;
• Knowledge of common lithium-ion electrolyte systems; including common lithium salt, solvents, and additives, and their role;
• Expertise in ionic liquids;
• Demonstrable track record of learning new technologies quickly and using your skillset to have a tangible impact in a short time frame;
• Hands-on experience with gas sample analysis via at least GC with demonstrated interpretation proficiency;
• Ability to onboard and integrate existing in-house knowledge with new discoveries and challenges being tackled in developing electrolyte materials for high energy rechargeable lithium metal cells;
• Ability to identify and execute testing metrics to shorten the cycle of learning;
• Has used physical-chemical methods in generating strategies to tackle formulation problems;
• Has used methods in understanding physicochemical properties of electrolyte, including, but not limited to; density, viscosity, ionic conductivity, pH, melting point, acid-base titration;
• Hands-on experience in electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic methods;
• A technical leader with the ability to positively influence peers and bring the team together;
• Track record of intellectual property creation;
• Experience in mixture DOE;
• Has worked with moisture sensitive materials in a glovebox or dry room.
• Nice to have: Proficiency in cell assembly, cell test, and data analysis.

Qualifications 

• Doctorate in chemistry with 3+ years of post-PhD industrial or academic experience.

• 3+ years of experience in formulation development, preferably with strong exposure to liquid electrolytes, polymer electrolytes, ionic liquids, and solid-state electrolytes
• Demonstrated passion to be in mobile energy space.