Principal Scientist - Catalysis and Process Development

ACS; Newcastle City Council; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company ESOP (Stock Option Plan)

Superannuation

Training & Development

Relocation and working visa support

Hands‑on leadership role

Newcastle location

Job summary

Facet Amtech in Newcastle is seeking a Principal Scientist to lead catalyst development, process integration and pilot-scale technology development, translating cutting‑edge research into scalable solutions for sustainable industrial decarbonisation. This role combines scientific leadership with hands‑on lab work and strategic direction across R&D and manufacturing interfaces.

You will mentor the team, drive mechanistic understanding, and deliver robust, reproducible results to accelerate

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or related field.
• Deep expertise in heterogeneous catalysis and reaction mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of catalyst characterisation techniques.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership across catalyst, reactor and process development.
• Guide catalyst synthesis, screening, optimisation and scale‑up.
• Translate catalyst requirements into reactor operating conditions and testing methodologies.
• Develop bench-scale and pilot-scale systems in coordination with R&D and engineering teams.
• Ensure documentation, data traceability and rigorous analysis of results.
• Lead a small R&D team and contribute to strategic technical decisions.

Skills

Heterogeneous catalysis

Catalysis materials

Reaction mechanisms

Characterisation techniques

Experimental design

Data analysis

Technical leadership

Science communication

Modelling (DFT)

Education

PhD or equivalent

Tools

DFT

Job description

Description

Facet Amtech is developing a world-first clean ammonia process — producing ammonia directly from air and water, without the hydrogen infrastructure (SMR or electrolysers) that conventional grey, blue and green ammonia plants require. Our process feeds air and water into a reactor where the catalyst simultaneously separates hydrogen from water and reduces nitrogen from the air, combining the two directly into ammonia. This removes major plant infrastructure costs, improves energy efficiency by avoiding generated waste heat, and drives production costs below grey ammonia prices.

We are seeking an exceptional Principal Scientist to drive this technology forward. Leading the R&D team and reporting to the CEO, you will provide scientific direction across catalyst development, process integration and pilot-scale technology development. This is a role for someone who wants to bring cutting‑edge research into the real world, contributing directly to global decarbonisation and sustainable industrial development. As Facet Amtech grows, this role is expected to play a key part in building and leading the future of our catalyst and process development capabilities.

Working with the science and engineering team, you will contribute across catalyst development, manufacturing, material characterisation and process integration; feedstock and product gas characterisation; analysis and interpretation of experimental data; and development of reliable, repeatable experiment protocols and quality control. The role requires hands‑on laboratory work to translate fundamental research into larger‑scale projects — a unique opportunity to work on complex technical problems that demands a high level of attention to detail and the tenacity to identify and resolve unexpected system behaviours.

We're based in Newcastle, one of Australia's fastest-growing energy transition hubs, having recently moved into an independent facility to accelerate lab‑based R&D, catalyst manufacturing scale‑up and pilot work. The region combines a strong industrial and research base with a coastal lifestyle, easy access to the Hunter Valley, and a cost of living well below Australia's capital cities.
Key Responsibilities

Scientific Leadership

• Provide scientific leadership across catalyst, reactor and process development activities.
• Drive a culture of intellectual curiosity, scientific rigor, critical thinking and evidence‑based decision making.
• Undertake technical reviews and scientific decision‑making processes across the organisation.
• Develop technical reports, summaries and strategic recommendations.
• Establish clear technical priorities and development objectives.

Scientific Analysis and Problem Solving

• Guide catalyst synthesis, screening, optimisation and scale‑up activities.
• Apply materials science and chemistry principles by performing characterisation experiments to develop mechanistic understanding of catalyst behaviour and performance.
• Ensure experimental procedures, data, analyses and conclusions are appropriately documented and traceable.
• Apply first‑principles thinking to challenge assumptions, identify root causes of behaviours, and progress the technical development.
• Critically evaluate experimental design, data quality and interpretation.
• Support theoretical model development in line with thermodynamic, kinetic and process constraints.
• Translate catalyst requirements into reactor operating conditions and testing methodologies.
• Work with the R&D and engineering teams to develop bench‑scale and continuous operation pilot‑scale systems.

Requirements

Essential Qualifications & Experience:

• PhD or equivalent industry experience in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline
• Deep expertise in heterogeneous catalysis, catalytic materials and reaction mechanisms
• Strong understanding of catalyst characterisation techniques and interpretation
• Proven ability to solve highly complex, multidisciplinary scientific problems
• Experience leading research programs within small technical teams
• Strong experimental design and data analysis skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Experience:

• Ammonia synthesis, nitrogen activation, hydrogenation catalysis or related technologies
• Technology scale‑up from laboratory to pilot or full‑scale operation
• Industrial R&D, technology development, start‑up or scale‑up environments
• Theoretical catalyst/process modelling (DFT, CFD, reactor modelling, thermodynamics/kinetics, process simulation packages)
• Experience contributing to intellectual property generation and patent development

Benefits

• Company ESOP (Stock Option Plan)
• Superannuation
• Training & Development
• Relocation and working visa support for overseas candidates relocating to Australia
• Hands‑on leadership role on a genuinely novel, world‑first clean technology
• Newcastle location — coastal lifestyle, Hunter Valley access, cost of living below capital cities