Materials Scientist

Brightsmith; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Brightsmith is seeking a Materials Scientist / Materials Engineer to advance electrochemical energy technologies across the full product lifecycle, from lab material evaluation to scale‑up and qualification.

You will work in a multidisciplinary team to improve performance, durability, manufacturability and cost of critical electrochemical components, with hands-on experimentation and data‑driven decisions.

This is a fast‑paced environment typical of a scaling energy tech startup in London.

Qualifications

• Degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• 3–5 years' experience in materials development, product development or R&D.
• Strong understanding of material characterisation and degradation mechanisms.
• Experience translating lab findings into scalable engineering solutions.
• Hands‑on in designing experiments and analyzing data.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and select materials for electrodes, membranes, and seals.
• Investigate performance, degradation, and chemical compatibility under operating conditions.
• Design material screening and validation from lab scale to larger systems.
• Support material selection through data analysis and engineering recommendations.
• Collaborate with chemistry, electrochemistry, mechanical, and systems teams to optimize components.
• Lead material-related failure investigations to improve reliability.
• Support supplier engagement, material specs, qualification plans and quality control.
• Present findings clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Skills

Materials development

Data analysis

Lab experimentation

Technical communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Rapid learning in startup environment

Education

Degree in Materials Science/Engineering/Chemistry

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Materials Scientist | Electrochemical Energy Technologies

Brightsmith are supporting an innovative clean energy technology company as they continue to scale their engineering and product development team. We are looking for a Materials Scientist / Materials Engineer to play a key role in the development of next‑generation electrochemical technology.

This is an opportunity to work across the full product development lifecycle, from evaluating new materials in the laboratory through to supporting component qualification and commercial scale‑up. Working within a multidisciplinary engineering team, you will help drive improvements in performance, durability, manufacturability and cost across critical electrochemical components.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and select materials for electrochemical components including electrodes, membranes, bipolar plates, seals, coatings and other critical system parts.
• Investigate material performance, degradation mechanisms, chemical compatibility and mechanical behaviour under operating conditions.
• Design and carry out material screening and validation programmes to assess performance from laboratory scale through to larger systems.
• Support material selection decisions by analysing test data and translating findings into practical engineering recommendations.
• Work closely with chemistry, electrochemistry, mechanical and systems engineering teams to optimise component performance.
• Lead material‑related failure investigations and root cause analysis to improve product reliability.
• Support supplier engagement, material specifications, qualification plans and quality control processes.
• Present technical findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Experience Required

• Degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• Around 3-5 years' experience within materials development, product development or R&D.
• Strong understanding of material characterisation, degradation mechanisms and material compatibility within engineering applications.
• Experience translating laboratory findings into scalable engineering solutions and manufacturable products.
• Hands‑on experience designing experiments, analysing data and communicating technical conclusions.
• Comfortable working within a fast‑paced product development or start‑up environment.

Desirable Experience - Nice to have but not required

• Experience within electrochemical technologies such as batteries, flow batteries, fuel cells or electrolysers.
• Knowledge of cell or stack components including membranes, electrodes, bipolar plates, seals or coatings.
• Experience supporting scale‑up, material qualification, supplier management or component release.
• Familiarity with Python, MATLAB or similar tools for technical data analysis.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver commercial products.