Polymer Scientist

18h18 hours ago

Eastman

Kingsport, US · Full-time · $100,000 – $120,000

About this role

Eastman Chemical Company, founded in 1920, is a global specialty materials company producing everyday products. It seeks a recent 2024 or upcoming 2025 PhD Polymer Chemist/Scientist with experimental focus for its Technology organization in Kingsport, Tennessee. The role develops innovative, sustainable solutions for new and existing processes and products.

The selected candidate works closely with scientists, engineers, and technicians at lab, pilot, and commercial scales to meet market demands. Responsibilities include designing experiments to prepare, characterize, and evaluate polymers per company timelines. This involves translating needs into detailed technical work plans for safe execution.

Join a high-performing, inclusive, and diverse team in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment. Collaborate with applications R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and business partners to deliver commercially viable solutions. Lead multidisciplinary teams, directing technicians on technical projects.

Leverage world-class technology platforms and deep customer engagement for innovation-driven growth. Contribute to patents, publications, and technical presentations aligned with research strategy. Enhance leading positions in transportation, building, construction, and consumables markets.

Requirements

PhD in Polymer Chemistry or related field with graduation in 2024 or anticipated in 2025
Experimental focus in polymer science
Hands-on experience with polymer synthesis, preparation, and characterization techniques
Knowledge of polymer architectures and compositions for applications development
Familiarity with process scale-up from lab to pilot and commercial manufacturing
Ability to design experiments and develop research plans for polymer evaluation
Strong problem-solving skills to anticipate and resolve technical challenges in polymer development

Responsibilities

Collaborate with partner functions such as applications R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and business partners to understand customer needs and provide commercially viable technical solutions
Work in a fast-paced, results-oriented team environment to reduce application fitness-for-use criteria to fundamental polymer characteristics, leading to design, preparation, and assessment of novel polymer compositions and architectures
Develop research plans and design experiments to prepare, characterize, and evaluate polymers according to company’s timetable and translate into detailed technical work plans for safe and effective execution of process chemistry or new product or application development
Elucidate and recommend process conditions and parameters for successful scale-up and manufacturing of new and existing polymer compositions
Anticipate technical difficulties and develop creative solutions
Write patents, technical market support literature, technical presentations, and publications, including internal research for publication, and provide support/liaison for external research conducted in line with the organization’s research strategy
Prepare and present written and oral reports to communicate with production, marketing, sales, and related functions
Work in and lead multidisciplinary teams to execute on technical projects, including directing the work of technicians