Senior R&D Scientist

About Umicore

Powering the cars of the future. Reducing harmful emissions. Giving unique properties to high-end applications. Giving new life to used metals. We are the leading circular materials technology company fulfilling its mission to create materials for a better life.

About Fuel Cell and Stationary Catalysts

High-performance stationary catalysts. Next generation fuel-cell technologies. With clean air and green mobility playing a vital part in protecting the world of tomorrow, our design and production of these sustainable solutions has never been more crucial. Developing innovative products for a broad range of industries, we’re creating a better future by helping customers reach zero emission mobility and power supply. To keep improving the way the world moves we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new ideas. Which is where you come in.

What you will be doing

1. Establish and operate the R&D laboratory

In the first year, you’ll help get the stationary R&D lab up and running.

• Define and deliver the core equipment and analytical capabilities we need
• Lead vendor selection, commissioning and equipment readiness
• Set lab workflows, experimental protocols, and data practices people will follow
• Assist running the lab day to day: plan and prioritize work, keep instruments running, manage maintenance and calibration
• Own baseline EHS for lab operations (chemicals, catalyst materials, exhaust gases, and waste)

2. Lead innovation and development

You’ll own catalyst development from idea to scale-up-ready.

• Lead development projects with clear milestones and realistic timelines
• Turn assumptions into experiments, and experiments into decisions that produce clear go/no-go recommendations
• Invent and prototype new catalyst concepts, then drive the winning concept toward scale
• Direct lab-scale catalyst preparation and performance evaluation
• Stay current on patents and literature, and use that insight to guide our direction
• Keep EHS compliance as a priority

3. Work across teams and communicate clearly

You communicate clearly and amplify impact globally

• Communicate with stakeholders clearly
• Write technical documents that capture learning, methods, and rationale
• Support production scale-up and help solve manufacturing issues when they show up

Who we are looking for

Education & Experience

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or similar
• 6+ years in R&D environment working with heterogeneous catalysts
• Proven experience managing research projects and taking work from idea to scale-up-ready
• Hands on experience with lab scale catalyst preparation, characterization and performance evaluation
• Proven experience within setting up lab or upgrading lab capability: equipment specification, vendor selection, commissioning, and method readiness.
• Experience with emissions control catalysts is a plus

 Technical Competencies

• Strong knowledge within heterogeneous catalysts, e.g. formulation, reaction kinetics, deactivation mechanisms
• Demonstrates strong innovation judgment: excellent taste in choosing high-impact problems, shaping solution approaches, and designing high-signal experiments that lead to clear decisions
• Ability to translate results into clear technical decisions

What we offer

We aim to lead the way. Not just for our customers, but for our employees too. That is why we strive to create a collaborative environment in which we can all succeed, and a culture through which we can all share ideas, develop our expertise and advance our careers. We engage in building an inclusive work culture that offers equal opportunities for all employees irrespective of their diverse backgrounds. As you would expect from a world-leading organisation, we will also reward your contribution with a competitive salary and benefits. With all this and more, imagine what you could do?