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Experimental Physicist
In-person · Los Angeles, CA, US... more
In-person · Los Angeles, CA, US... more
Job Description
We are Universe Energy, and we are the battery dismantling and repurposing company.
The world needs 2 billion batteries by 2050, but we need to mine 30x more, leaving a $10 Trillion supply gap. We first collect, dismantle, and sort used battery packs 95% cheaper and 7x faster with robotics, and AI for EV makers and fleets. We then take care of used batteries, by remanufacturing and repurposing them, which helps these customers to make hundreds of millions in revenue, instead of paying for recycling. We will build the infrastructure to make 100k zero-impact batteries/year by 2030 from used ones without mining, generating millions/year and serving a massive grid storage market. Our mission is to unlock reused batteries as the primary source for the next 100M batteries to power a truly clean energy revolution and reduce 6 Giga tons of CO2 by 2050.
Job objective
You will develop non-intrusive battery testing methods to obtain accurate State of Health data of battery packs, modules, and cells to reduce testing times by 90%. It provides accurate testing data next to tests results from electrical tests. You will perform material characterizations with Ultrasonic, X-ray, and CT-scanning equipment. Then you collect incoming signals, process the data and turn them into the battery health and value estimations. Using laser and plasma techniques, you will explore disassembly methods that can be integrated into the robotic system. You will run experiments to guide gases past batteries to discharge them directly to eliminate electrocution risk and make them ready for shipping.
How you will contribute
- Design, develop, deploy, and maintain equipment to perform ultrasonic, X-ray & CT-scan testing methods. Analyze, design, and execute testing on packs, modules and cells.
- Design experimental configurations with hardware and software with vendors applied to health testing, discharging, and disassembly methods.
- Develop new testing methods to analyze battery materials and their parameters, clarify fundamental mechanisms leading to cell and material degradation, and improve cell lifetime modeling.
- Develop material characterizations of lithium-based battery cells with NMC, LFP, and NCA-based cathode chemistries. Correlate material properties to electrochemical cell test data.
- Develop physical models, simulate them in software, and analyze data to arrive at scientific results. Develop test standards and troubleshoot diagnostic signals of non-intrusive methods.
- Scope new capabilities, select testing equipment, coordinate installation, and develop processes with vendors to deliver iterations on testing equipment.
- Deliver insights from applied research to the engineering and business teams to turn them into products and systems.
The skills & experience that you bring
- At least an M.Sc. in Chemistry, Material Science, Physics, Electronics, Energy, Nuclear Energy, or Aerospace.
- Expertise in applied physics to laser, plasma, heat, signals, wave, and high-energy electronics.
- Strong fundamentals in materials science, expertise in theory, and application of electrochemistry. Experience with battery materials and cell development.
- 3+ yrs led scientific investigations and ran applied research projects with analytical and experimental work and turned them into products.
- 3+ yrs practical experience in research environments using ultrasonic, X-ray, and CT-scan devices and related signal processing.
- 3+ yrs hands-on experience in applied research environments using lasers, plasmas, and welding techniques and their thermal phenomena.
- 3+ years using nitrogen and carbon-dioxide gases in environments like fusion, cryogenic lab, and greenhouse environments
- Strong communication, documentation, and presentation skills including written and oral technical presentations.
- Fluent communication to interface with engineering and product-oriented team members to turn research into technology.
How to hit a homerun
- Experience working on batteries, cryogenic systems, and medical imaging equipment.
- Experience in similarly integrated systems like nuclear fusion or aerospace machinery.