Magnet Scientist

alqem; München; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

alqem in Germany seeks an ambitious Magnet Scientist to lead the fabrication and engineering of next-generation magnetic materials. You will bridge computational predictions and physical reality, turning promising alloys into high-performance magnets by controlling phase formation, grain structure, and defects.

The role combines microstructure engineering, processing route design, and hands-on synthesis with advanced characterization techniques (PPMS, VSM, EBSD, SEM, TEM) to optimize performance

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc with 5+ years hands-on experience in magnetics.
• Expertise in synthesis and fabrication of inorganic crystals, especially permanent magnets or functional intermetallics.
• Experience in microstructure design and understanding structure–property relationships.
• Proficiency in magnetic characterization using PPMS or VSM systems.

Responsibilities

• Execute day-to-day experimental synthesis using physical vapor deposition, melt growth, flux growth, and arc-melting.
• Design advanced heat treatments, annealing profiles, and processing routes to control grain size, texture, and phase distribution.
• Engineer coercivity, remanence, and temperature stability through precise microstructure design.
• Develop scale-up routes from ingot to powder to bulk magnets, including sintering or hot pressing.

Skills

Magnetics experience

Microstructure design

Materials synthesis

Characterization fundamentals

Education

PhD or MSc

Tools

PPMS

VSM

EBSD

SEM

TEM

Job description

Your mission

We are seeking an ambitious Magnet Scientist to lead the fabrication and engineering of next-generation magnetic materials. This is a lab-first, execution-driven role where you will go beyond composition discovery to engineer the microstructure, processing routes, and ultimate performance of AI-predicted materials. You will bridge the gap between computational predictions and physical reality, turning promising alloys into high-performance magnets by controlling phase formation, grain structure, and defects.

Key Responsibilities

Microstructure Engineering & Fabrication

• Execute day-to-day experimental synthesis using physical vapor deposition, melt growth, flux growth, and arc-melting.
• Design advanced heat treatments, annealing profiles, and processing routes to control grain size, texture, and phase distribution.
• Engineer coercivity, remanence, and temperature stability through precise microstructure design.
• Develop scale-up routes from ingot to powder to bulk magnets, including sintering or hot pressing.

Characterization & Physics

• Perform high-level X-ray structure determination and spectroscopy.
• Measure hysteresis loops and temperature-dependent properties using magnetometry (VSM/PPMS or equivalent).
• Analyze domain behavior, reversal mechanisms, and magnetic anisotropy to provide physics-driven feedback to the AI team.

Your profile

Required Qualifications

• PhD or MSc in Physics, Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Chemistry with 5+ years of hands-on experience.
• Expertise in the synthesis and fabrication of inorganic crystals, specifically permanent magnets or functional intermetallics.
• Demonstrated experience in Microstructure Design and studying structure-property relationships.
• Proficiency in magnetic characterization using PPMS or VSM systems.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with rare-earth or rare-earth-free magnets and powder metallurgy.
• Familiarity with EBSD, SEM, TEM for detailed microstructure analysis.
• Experience generating data for patents and industrial qualification.

About Us

We are a German and Portuguese start-up revolutionizing novel and high impact materials discovery using leading AI models and smart synthesis. At alqem, we believe that new breakthrough materials are a key driver of progress, and that AI has given us new tools to discover these materials. Our cofounder has worked in the AI-for-materials space for more than a decade, and was involved in building the largest and best foundational materials database for crystalline materials, Alexandria. Our CEO spent over 15 years in the chemicals and energy industry in executive roles and has experience in developing large industrial projects. Our motivation is to build a company that can have a large, positive impact on our world: we want to make materials for the energy transition, for better computing, and for the future of mobility. In our company, we want to build a culture where team members act as owners, where curiosity and problem solving are encouraged, where scientific breakthroughs are celebrated, and where we help each other thrive and work hard towards our common goals.