Scientist II/Senior Scientist, Solid-State Materials
Cambridge, MA USA · Alewife, Cambridge · USD 126,000-198,000 · 1-5 years experience · Onsite · Posted Sep 29, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 1-5 years experience
- Workplace
- Onsite
- Location
- Cambridge, MA USA · Alewife, Cambridge
- Salary
- USD 126,000-198,000 · Base salary
About the role
- The Scientist II/Senior Scientist on the Vacuum Synthesis team will advance the design and synthesis of functional inorganic solid-state materials for an autonomous science platform.
- This role involves executing multi-step preparations and partnering with characterization scientists, ML researchers, and systems engineers to close the synthesis-characterization-modeling loop.
Responsibilities
- Design and execute synthesis campaigns across multiple chemical systems and structure families.
- Translate phase-diagram, crystal-chemistry, and structure-property reasoning into prioritized synthesis pathways.
- Access metastable and kinetically trapped phases through low-temperature and soft-chemical routes.
- Develop routine and specialized structural characterization workflows including powder XRD, phase ID, and refinement.
- Conduct functional property screening of synthesized materials to refine target selection and synthesis design.
- Integrate synthesis outputs into closed-loop, AI-guided experimental workflows.
- Develop and document protocols for air- and moisture-sensitive precursors and controlled-atmosphere processing.
- Maintain laboratory records and uphold safety and regulatory standards.
Requirements
- PhD in Solid-State Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related field.
- Documented portfolio of novel inorganic compounds spanning multiple chemical systems.
- Hands-on proficiency across multiple inorganic synthesis modalities.
- Demonstrated experience performing materials synthesis campaigns driven by functional property targets.
- Strong working command of complex multicomponent and multidimensional phase diagrams.
- Deep proficiency in X-ray diffraction and scattering techniques, including quantitative phase analysis and Rietveld refinement.
- Fluency working across multimodal characterization to inform synthesis decisions.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills with a track record of cross-functional collaboration.
Preferred qualifications
- Demonstrated depth in one or more functional inorganic material classes.
- Experience with single-crystal growth methods such as metallic flux, vapor transport, Bridgman, or floating zone.
- Experience with metallurgical processing techniques like sintering, hot pressing, spark plasma sintering, arc melting, or controlled annealing.
- Experience with neutron scattering, pair distribution function (PDF), or other local-structure techniques.
- Comfort with inert-atmosphere handling including glovebox and Schlenk techniques.
- Exposure to high-pressure or unconventional preparative environments.
- Familiarity with thin-film or vacuum-based deposition techniques.
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis and workflow automation.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Employer-paid life and disability insurance
- Flexible time off
- Generous company wide holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Educational assistance program
- Commuter benefits including bike share memberships
- Company subsidized lunch program
- Bonus potential
- Early-stage equity
Workplace
- Located in Alewife, Cambridge, MA.
Skills
- Solid-state Chemistry
- Inorganic Synthesis
- Powder XRD
- Rietveld Refinement
- Magnetometry
- Spectroscopy
- Microscopy
- Python
- Glovebox
- Single-crystal Growth
- Metallurgical Processing
