Electrochemical Research Engineer II - Materials Discovery Research Institute

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an Electrochemical Engineer II at UL Research Institutes Material Discovery Research Institute, based in our Skokie, Illinois, facilities. The Electrochemical Engineer II will play a pivotal role in advancing the discovery, characterization, and optimization of electrochemical materials for next-generation energy storage and conversion technologies. The role involves accelerating the development, evaluation, and scaling of novel materials and device architectures for applications such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and advanced batteries. This will be achieved through high-throughput methodologies, including automated synthesis techniques, in-situ and operando characterization, and advanced electrochemical testing methods. The research will be supported by high-performance computation (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) capabilities within MDRI.

UL Research Institutes:

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Materials Discovery Research Institute team who conducts the research required to produce that knowledge and put into practice.

Materials Discovery Research Institute:

The Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) works to develop and deploy new materials with the potential to address current global safety challenges. Pursuing materials that will help produce transformational safety breakthroughs, MDRI harnesses the power of advanced computing and high-throughput experimental methods to create innovative materials that will produce resilience for a sustainable future and protect individual and societal health.

We focus on today's critical challenges, working to create new and better materials that will support renewable energy and environmental sustainability. Among our top priorities is research into materials capable of carbon capture and energy storage, with an eye toward reducing the adverse impacts of humanity's reliance upon fossil fuel resources and enabling a transition to renewable energy sources.

Above all, our research builds on our commitment to a safer, more sustainable future.

What you'll learn and achieve:

As the Electrochemical Engineer II, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Develop and implement experimental methodologies for evaluating the electrochemical performance of novel materials, focusing on improving activity, stability, and scalability.

• Design and execute full factorial Design of Experiments (DOEs) to optimize material properties and processing parameters for key energy conversion and storage technologies, including PEM/AEM electrolyzers, fuel cells, and solid-state batteries.

• Leverage electrochemical combinatorial methods to accelerate material discovery and device integration.

• Develop and automate testing protocols, integrating AI/ML-driven data analysis to extract key insights into structure-property-performance relationships.

• Design and construct specialized electrochemical setups, including in-situ and operando diagnostic tools to study reaction mechanisms and degradation pathways.

• Characterize transport phenomena in electrochemical systems using EIS, CV, RRDE, and other advanced electrochemical techniques.

• Investigate structure-property relationships of electrochemical interfaces using SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, XRF, Raman, NMR, FTIR, and other spectroscopic methods.

• Scale up promising materials and components from lab-scale evaluations to short-stack prototypes in collaboration with MDRI's engineering team.

• Conduct failure analysis and degradation studies, identifying key mechanisms that limit performance and developing mitigation strategies.

• Contribute to the development of next-generation energy devices, ensuring compatibility with TRL 6-7 field testing requirements.

• Collaborate across interdisciplinary teams, including materials scientists, computational modelers, process engineers, and industrial partners to accelerate technology translation.

• Present findings at scientific conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and contribute to proposal development for new research initiatives.

• Perform other assigned duties as necessary.

What you'll experience working at UL Research Institutes: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for over 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Strong expertise in electrochemical testing of energy conversion and storage materials, including fuel cells, electrolyzers, flow batteries, and solid-state batteries.

• Hands-on experience with electrochemical workstations, impedance spectroscopy, and high-throughput screening techniques.

• Proficiency in materials characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy.

• Strong background in catalyst synthesis, solid-state electrolyte processing, and electrode fabrication techniques.

• Experience with multiphysics modeling of electrochemical processes, including transport phenomena and reaction kinetics.

• Familiarity with pilot-scale electrochemical reactors and scaled testing environments.

• Knowledge of AI/ML applications for materials discovery and electrochemical diagnostics is a plus.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary environment, balancing multiple projects and priorities.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• PhD in Electrochemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field; OR Master's degree plus 2+ years of hands-on electrochemical research experience; OR Bachelor's degree plus 6+ years of relevant industrial or academic experience.

• Experience in an electrochemical R&D lab focused on energy technologies.

• Prior work with pilot-scale prototypes and field validation is highly desirable.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

Our affiliate, UL Solutions, stands alongside us in working for a safer and more sustainable world. UL Solutions conducts testing, verification and certification, and provides training and advisory services, along with data-driven reporting and decision-making tools, for customers around the world.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

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