Scientist / Research Eng Materials

Job Summary:

Our client in Dearborn, MI is looking for a Scientist / Research Eng Materials. This is a contract position.

What You Will Do:

As our Foam Researcher for Advanced Polymer Technologies, you will work with a team of researchers to develop new polymer foam technologies that improve functional performance and advance us towards decarbonization and a circular economy. focused on the composition-process-structure-property-performance relationships of polymer foam materials and manufacturing technologies for a government funded project. You will direct junior researchers in formulation and evaluations; and interface with materials engineering and product development colleagues to understand production and commercialization needs.

Position Responsibilities:

• Design experimental program to develop, optimize, and validate technical feasibility for new polymer foam technologies.
• Perform and oversee testing and characterization of test samples and components per standardized methods and corporate performance requirements.
• Initiate exploratory investigations to find novel technologies that enable and step-change improvements in functional or sustainable capability.
• Coordinate with technology providers, tier suppliers and product and manufacturing colleagues to understand scaling and manufacturability constraints.
• Organize and direct prototyping trials for design verification and validation testing.

Basics:

• PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, or related field.
• Hands-on skills in formulation and fabrication of polyurethane foams.
• Experience in analyzing and determining process-structure-process-property relationships for polyurethane foams.
• Capability with statistical analysis tools.
• 5+ years of experience in material development with polyurethane foams.
• 5+ years of experience with polymeric materials characterization, including standard thermal and mechanical testing, rheology, and microscopy.
• Laboratory or factory experience with polymer processing, polyurethane foam molding, injection molding, blow molding and compression molding.

Preferred:

• Track record in delivery of novel technologies into production applications.
• Proven leadership ability in academic or industrial research settings.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, draw conclusions, and document results through publication and presentations.
• Experience with thermoplastics, blends, and filled or reinforced composites.
• Experience with thermoplastic and thermoset foams, open and closed cell foams, and cellular solids such as meshes and lattices.
• Experience in utilizing circular economy principles and life cycle assessment tools.

How You Will Be Successful:

• Envision the Future
• Communicate Honestly and Broadly
• Seek Technology and Business “First”
• Embrace Diversity and Take Risks

What We Offer:

• Competitive Salary
• Comprehensive Benefit Package
• 401(k) with matching contributions
• Paid Time Off
• Employee Discounts
• Free training on all Altair products

Why Work with Us:

Altair is a global technology company providing software and cloud solutions in the areas of data analytics, product development, and high-performance computing (HPC). Altair enables organizations in nearly every industry to compete more effectively in a connected world, while creating a more sustainable future. With more than 3,000 engineers, scientists, and creative thinkers in 25 countries, we help solve our customer’s toughest challenges and deliver unparalleled service, helping the innovators innovate, drive better decisions, and turn today’s problems into tomorrow’s opportunities.

Our vision is to transform customer decision making with data analytics, simulation, and high-performance computing.

For more than 30 years, we have been helping our customers integrate electronics and controls with mechanical design to expand product value, develop AI, simulation and data-driven digital twins to drive better decisions, and deliver advanced HPC and cloud solutions to support unlimited idea exploration. To learn more, please visit altair.com

Ready to go? #ONLYFORWARD   

At our core we are explorers; adventures; pioneers. We are the brains behind some of the world’s most revolutionary innovations and are not only comfortable in new and unchartered waters, we dive headfirst. We are the original trailblazers that make the impossible possible, discovering new solutions to our customer’s toughest challenges.

Altair is an equal opportunity employer. Our backgrounds are diverse, and every member of our global team is critical to our success. Altair’s history demonstrations a belief that empowering each individual authentic voice reinforces a culture that thrives because of the uniqueness among our team.