Research Scientist / Associate Scientist (Process & Polymer Chemistry)

17h17 hours ago

Epoch Biodesign

London, GB · Full-time · £45,000 – £65,000

About this role

Epoch Biodesign is a well-funded, venture-backed start-up using biology to make every type of plastic recyclable, starting with nylon. We combine AI, synthetic biology and green chemistry to scale enzymatic recycling of unrecyclable plastics and textiles into virgin-quality materials. This yields substantial carbon emission reductions with disruptive unit economics.

We seek a Research Scientist for our R&D team at the intersection of Organic, Polymer, and Process chemistry. The role centres on developing scalable pre-processing and purification workflows for our proprietary plastic recycling technology. You will optimise chemical processes to prepare diverse feedstocks for enzymatic depolymerisation.

You will engineer purification strategies ensuring recovered monomers meet virgin-grade quality for high-value repolymerisation. Our pilot plant processes Nylon 6,6 waste, with a larger demo facility soon producing materials for major fashion, sportswear, luxury brands and car companies. Join a dynamic team transforming waste prevention.

Generate technical data packages to support scaling from bench-top to production. Act as technical liaison between process stages, Enzymatic Depolymerisation and Engineering teams. Contribute to solving this urgent environmental challenge through innovative chemistry.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry OR Master’s degree in a related field with 2+ years of industrial R&D experience
Proven expertise in separation science (extraction, distillation, recrystallisation)
Expertise in organic characterisation techniques (NMR, FTIR, HPLC, GPC, GC)
Experience developing scalable chemical processes for polymer feedstocks
Ability to perform rigorous mass-balance assessments and analytical quality control
Demonstrated commitment to laboratory safety and SOP development

Responsibilities

Design and refine chemical separation and preparation techniques to generate purified streams from complex polymer blends
Standardise the chemical and physical properties of input materials to maximise efficiency of downstream biological catalysts
Develop robust isolation protocols to remove impurities and additives, ensuring final products meet stringent industry specifications
Execute end-to-end waste-to-monomer cycles at lab scale and perform mass-balance assessments and analytical quality control
Generate critical technical data packages to support engineering team in scaling operations from bench-top to production
Lead safety assessments for new workflows and maintain comprehensive records of experimental outcomes and SOPs
Define project scopes, timelines, and resource requirements using structured experimental designs
Act as technical liaison to Enzymatic Depolymerisation and Engineering teams for seamless hand-offs