Principal Battery Scientist

Company: Albemarle Corporation
Location: Baton Rouge
Posted on: November 20, 2023

Job Description:

Are you inspired by "what's next"? So are we.

When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.

Job Description

Principal Battery Scientist

Albemarle Corporation is currently seeking a Principal Battery Scientist to provide technical leadership for new product development programs within the Research and Technology Group of the Bromine Global Business Unit. The successful candidate will have a lead role in developing novel technology to expand Albemarle's product portfolio via commercialization of new products in the battery space. This is a highly visible role in the Bromine Global Business Unit and a fantastic opportunity to launch transformational new products in a rapidly growing market. The position reports directly to the Senior Director of New Product Development (NPD) and will be based at our global technical center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for setting the technical direction for a research and development program for the design, development and commercialization of new battery materials
• Launch new materials in the battery space, leveraging understanding of battery electrolyte components and formulations
• Lead the fabrication of battery cells, incorporating knowledge of battery materials and their components and how they work together
• Set up new equipment for electrical testing of cells and guide the setup of new test protocols for cell performance testing
• Drive statistical thinking in the team around cell fabrication and battery testing through the use of a Design Of Experiments (DOE) methodology and rigorous hypothesis testing
• Guide the analytical testing and failure analysis of cells with special emphasis on the electrochemical testing and correlation of design changes in cell components to their performance, thereby extracting valuable insight to accelerate product development
• Design studies aimed at improving the fundamental understanding of new lithium-ion battery technologies.
• Set intellectual property (IP) strategy; collaborating with scientists and IP counsel to understand the IP landscape and guide new filings to create a sustained competitive advantage
• Collaborate across Albemarle's functions including new product development, analytical research, application testing, process research as well as commercial team members to ensure timely delivery on technical milestones and enable launch of transformational new products.
• Enhance Albemarle's professional image and competitive advantage through conference presentations, customer interactions as well as other external collaborations with universities and value chain partners.
  Required Experience
  
  • Proven track record of technical leadership in the research, development and commercialization of battery materials and experience in the design, assembly and electrical testing of battery cells
  • Industry knowledge and expertise in battery electrolyte components and formulation design
  • Strong knowledge of battery materials, cell components and how they interact with each other
  • Strong fundamental understanding of electrochemistry of lithium ion batteries and a drive to understand fundamentals and use them to guide the research and design of novel battery materials
  • Strong command over statistical methods for product design and test method development
  • Demonstrated leadership in laboratory safety practices and protocols
  • Experience leading the installation and commissioning of electrochemical testing instruments
  • Experience setting patent strategy
  • Thorough understanding of electrochemical techniques such as battery cycling methods, conductivity measurement, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and four probes technique
  • Demonstrated experience with failure analysis of battery cells, analytical testing and data interpretation to assess the impact of battery material changes on the electrochemical performance, including both electrochemical techniques and post-mortem analysis
  • Minimum of 10 years of industrial experience in battery research and development
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience in the fabrication and testing of cells
  • Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science or related field
    Desired Experience
    
    • At least 5 years of experience with Lithium Ion technology development
    • Experience optimizing electrolyte formulations to meet electrochemical performance requirements
    • Experience with electrode coating equipment and ability to fabricate high quality electrodes
    • Ability to link electrochemical performance to fundamental principles of organic chemistry
    • More than 15 years of experience will be a plus for this role
      Choose to unlock your full POTENTIAL. Apply today.

Keywords: Albemarle Corporation, Baton Rouge , Principal Battery Scientist, Education / Teaching , Baton Rouge, Louisiana