Research Scientist - Physical Organic Chemistry and Materials Characterization

1d1 day ago

AeroVironment

US · Full-time · $90,000 – $130,000

About this role

AeroVironment is seeking an entry-level Research Scientist to join our multidisciplinary team at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The Polymers and Responsive Materials Team needs a highly versatile, computationally-fluent scientist at the intersection of Physical Organic Chemistry and Materials Physics. Apply advanced analytical toolkits from AI/ML to spectroscopy across diverse research initiatives.

Provide digital-first characterization and mechanistic evaluation to advance materials discovery for extreme environments, bio-inspired elastomers, and autonomous laboratory workflows. Drive characterization and data-driven analysis for high-impact areas including space survivability, hierarchical materials, and closed-loop discovery.

As a key lab member, avoid siloed projects and contribute to a broad portfolio of initiatives. Investigate extreme stressors like atomic oxygen and ionizing radiation on organic surfaces. Map nanostructure and self-assembly of peptide-based synthetic rubbers and hybrid polymers.

Integrate laboratory hardware with AI/ML for automated resilient materials discovery. This pipeline requisition anticipates future hiring needs at a government facility. Exceptional candidates may be contacted for upcoming opportunities.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship required for work within a government facility.
MS or PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field with 0-1 years of experience.
Strong proficiency in Python for data analysis, modeling, or laboratory automation.
Expertise in spectroscopy and strong foundational understanding of physical organic chemistry or polymer physics.
Experience with X-ray or neutron scattering (or strong desire to lead beamline experiments), preferred.
Familiarity with the physics of elastomers, rubbers, or soft matter, preferred.
Demonstrated interest in Machine Learning or Bayesian optimization as applied to physical sciences, preferred.
Understanding of polymer degradation mechanisms in response to oxidation or radiation, preferred.

Responsibilities

Use XPS, FTIR, and NMR to identify molecular-level degradation pathways.
Design and execute synchrotron experiments using SAXS/WAXS to probe soft matter morphology.
Leverage Python to automate data processing from analytical instruments and implement AI/ML models for performance prediction.
Correlate chemical changes with macro-scale performance via DMA, tensile testing, and rheological analysis.
Modify or build experimental hardware interfaces using open-source tools for automated, high-throughput characterization.