Polymer Formulation Chemist Academic Graduate Appointee

We have an opening for an Academic Graduate Appointee to conduct research in silicone materials development and processing for 3D printing with a focus on formulation development 3D printing curing behavior and mechanical performance. You will actively participate in research to design formulate print and characterize silicone-based materials for advanced additive manufacturing with emphasis on integrating automation and data driven workflows to accelerate materials development. This position is in the High Performance Materials group of the Materials Science Division.

In this role you will

• Conduct research related to silicone formulation development for 3D printing including direct ink writing and other relevant silicone additive manufacturing methods.
• Design execute and analyze experiments to quantify relationships among rheology cure kinetics processing conditions and final mechanical properties.
• Develop and optimize polymer processing workflows including mixing compounding degassing and printing to achieve robust repeatable material performance.
• Perform silicone material characterization including mechanical testing rheological testing and thermal testing and interpret results to guide formulation and process improvements.
• Implement and maintain data analysis and coding workflows to manage experimental data enable reproducibility and accelerate iteration cycles.
• Integrate automation platforms (for example Chemspeed or similar) into formulation sample preparation and testing pipelines to increase throughput and consistency.
• Collaborate with scientists in a multidisciplinary team environment to accomplish research goals including interactions with internal and external collaborators.
• Document research publish papers in peer-reviewed journals and present results within the DOE community and at conferences.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications :

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Bachelors degree in chemistry materials science chemical engineering or a related field.
• Experience in polymer processing and characterization such as mixing formulating mechanical testing rheological testing and thermal testing demonstrated by coursework training and/or work experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing experimental plans including troubleshooting complex materials and process variables.
• Demonstrated ability to write and use code for data processing analysis or experiment control in a research environment.
• Ability to develop independent research projects through publication of peer-reviewed literature.
• Sufficient verbal and written communication skills as reflected in effective presentations at seminars meetings and/or teaching lectures.
• Initiative and interpersonal skills with desire and ability to work in a collaborative multidisciplinary team environment.

Qualifications We Desire

• Experience with silicone chemistry and silicone formulation development (for example addition cure condensation cure fillers catalysts inhibitors surface treatments).
• Experience with 3D printing of polymers especially silicone printing (for example DIW extrusion based printing or related approaches).
• Experience with automation (Chemspeed or similar) and/or Python based data workflows and familiarity with machine learning approaches for materials or process optimization.

Pay Range

$6833 - $8335 Monthly

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay including education experience the external labor market and internal equity.

Additional Information :

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Position Information

This is a one-year Academic Graduate Appointee open to those who have been awarded a degree at the time of the employment offer.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Included in 2026 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Our values - visit  Clearance

  This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.  If you are selected we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing.  Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship. 

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  Remote Work :

  No

  
  

  Employment Type :

  Full-time