Senior Scientist - Materials Characterization

About Us

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?

Who You Are

You are a creative, hands-on analytical scientist with a desire to cooperatively dig deep into the behavior of materials within a battery cell by applying -- or inventing and building, if necessary -- the best microscopic and spectroscopic methods available. This will be in the service of understanding and optimizing the next-generation of Li-ion battery materials. You will be working closely with multiple scientists of varying backgrounds to tackle complex technical challenges and generate new knowledge at the leading edge of battery science, so collaborative problem-solving abilities are indispensable. This role requires strong endurance for hard scientific problems as well as a healthy dose of skepticism.

Responsibilities & Duties

Co-invent and characterize the next generation of battery materials using advanced microscopic and spectroscopic materials characterization techniques within a world-class research team.

• Initiate, develop, and apply new approaches, methods, and possibly instrumentation, for characterizing battery materials.
• Design and execute experiments to uncover underlying chemical and physical changes, identify failure mechanisms, and quickly iterate to expand our fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical interactions of the different battery components.
• Work with cross-company teams of diverse backgrounds to discover and communicate knowledge for the long term development of Sila’s next generation battery materials.
• Serve as a mentor and colleague to others in the team, offer active listening, collaborative brainstorming, and cooperative hands-on laboratory exploration.

Knowledge & Skill Requirements

• Experience exploring, in depth, the physical characterization of nanoscale materials: hands-on time building and/or modifying instrumentation to collect the best data, as well as interpretation of the data to provide fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships and connecting them to material performance.
• Subject matter expertise in at least one microscopic and/or spectroscopic method, such as x-ray microscopy, scanning/transmission electron microscopy, electron tomography, and electron and/or x-ray spectroscopic methods.
• PhD or comparable industrial experience in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Physics.
• 5+ years of experience in microscopy/spectroscopy after a PhD is preferred.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection.
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
• Move items up to 50 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
• Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time
• Reach low shelves or items on the floor
• Enter spaces narrower than 3 feet
• Climb stairs or over containment walls
• Precise and repetitive handling of a range of material quantities
• Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location

The starting base pay for this role is between $166,000 and $210,250 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Working at Sila

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.