Senior Research Scientist, Cementitious and Structural Materials - Queens Carbon

About Us 

Queens Carbon's mission is to Decarbonize the Cement and Concrete Industry. Backed by Breakthrough Energy Fellows, we're developing a novel synthesis process that dramatically reduces the CO2 emissions associated with cement production. This groundbreaking solution is energetically efficient, used industry standard materials and is economically attractive. At scale, this technology will enable gigaton-level reductions in CO2 emissions via avoidance and capture routes.  

Our team is united behind the idea that preventing climate change is the single most important task of this generation. If you are excited about cutting edge science, saving the environment, and want to have fun while doing it, join us!  

Position Overview 

As a Senior Research Scientist, you will be on the front lines of our R&D team and will work on developing our novel synthesis technology, with a focus on developing advanced cementitious materials.  You'll do research, generate ideas and design and conduct experiments to advance all aspects of our unique hydrothermal and related processes. You will take the lead in process refinement and analysis, and create bi-weekly reports that summarize your findings to the rest of the team. You'll also help us build our team and develop a friendly and healthy company culture. 

As our research progresses, we'll run into unique challenges, so a highly creative mind and love of dynamic problem solving is a must. Since this is a small team, you will have opportunities to grow into a leadership role, as well as branch out into other areas of the business. Your research will directly shape our technology, and you will influence how we grow from bench top to industrial scale.  

Roles and Responsibilities

• Investigate and optimize our cementitious material chemistry.
• Develop specifications for mechanical characteristics and durability of cement and concrete blends including our sustainable cementitious materials.
• Assist the team with scale-up from bench top to pilot and production scale.
• Efforts will focus on advancing our novel reactor and associated processes to refine engineering and operating parameters. Work with science & engineering counterparts to establish data acquisition procedures and automation controls. Provide weekly input on reactor design and operation. 
• Conduct kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of the relevant reaction pathways for cement production, carbonation, and decarbonation chemical reactions. 
• Material Characterization: Develop procedures for and evaluate characterization studies of cementitious materials, including carbonate content quantification, degree of crystallinity, phase identification, phase quantification, particle size, surface area, and density. Collect data using state-of-the-art equipment such as XRD, TGA, He-Pyc, etc. 
  
• Help build and develop our team, facility and calibrate or upgrade equipment as needed.  
•  Carry out general research on targeted industries, including attending technical conferences and reading and evaluating published literature. 
•  Help prototype new processes and products in related material fields. 

Requirements  

• PhD in material science, chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, or a related field and 5+ years of cement or related industry experience; or a master's degree in the listed fields and over 10+ years of industry experience.  
• Experience in the world of calcination, mineralization, carbonization, or any other cement adjacent field. Previous exposure to hydrothermal or similar processes is a plus. 
• Experience in mechanical characteristics and durability of cement and concrete blends
• Highly creative, strong problem-solving skills, the ability to learn quickly, and the propensity to tackle new problems. 
• Strong understanding of data collection, analysis, automation, and proficiency in analytical software platforms like MATLAB, Arduino, C#, C++, Scilab, or Mathematica. MATLAB and Arduino experience is strongly preferred. 
• 5+ years of previous research in either an industrial or academic environment.  
• A great team-focused attitude, and a willingness to teach and learn from others. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• A desire to save the planet, and an interest in becoming a part of the growing group of climate change innovators.  

These requirements are not set in cement, so if you're passionate about this role and think you'd be a great fit, please reach out! 

Benefits and Salary  

•  A competitive salary  
•  Equity in the company  
•  Insurance options including health, dental, vision, life, and 401k   
•  A friendly time-off policy that encourages a healthy work-life balance
•  A laptop of your choice 
•  Sweet company swag :)

We're Committed to Diversity 

Queens Carbon is committed to building a diverse team and is home to an inclusive culture. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strive to include a variety of voices in our team that can provide different perspectives. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability status, age, or veteran status.