Lead Materials Scientist: Tribology & Advanced Ceramics

Flowserve; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Retirement Planning & Financial Well-»

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and HS

Short- and Long-Term Disability

Parental Leave

Life, Supplemental Life, and AD&D

Job summary

Flowserve is seeking a highly experienced Senior Materials Scientist – Tribology & Advanced Ceramics to lead development of next-generation materials for mechanical seals and rotating equipment. The role focuses on tribology, advanced ceramics, coatings, and surface-engineered solutions to improve durability and reliability.

The position drives innovation across material systems, guides testing and validation, and collaborates with engineering, manufacturing, and academic partners to extend

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 10+ years of industrial materials R&D experience.
• Experience advancing material systems in a commercial environment.
• Strong tribology expertise: friction, wear, lubrication, and degradation mechanisms.
• Experience with advanced ceramics, coatings, carbon materials, composites, polymers, metals, or other critical material systems.
• Proven ability to design and interpret tribology, material characterization, validation, and performance testing.
• Experience with failure analysis and root-cause investigations.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead R&D of advanced materials, coatings, and surface-engineered solutions for seal and rotating equipment.
• Develop material systems to improve seal-face performance and durability.
• Design and execute tribology and material characterization tests.
• Perform root-cause investigations for failures and recommend corrective actions.
• Apply advanced characterization techniques (optical EM, hardness, profilometry, surface analysis).
• Collaborate with product engineering, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers to optimize materials and processing.
• Partner with universities and research organizations to accelerate innovation.
• Act as technical authority for tribology and seal-face materials across teams.

Skills

Tribology expertise

Materials science background

Problem solving

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Laboratory testing

Education

Master's degree in a technical discipline

PhD (preferred)

Tools

Electron microscopy

Profilometry

Hardness testing

Surface analysis techniques

Coatings development

Job description

Flowserve is seeking a highly experienced Senior Materials Scientist – Tribology & Advanced Ceramics to lead development of next-generation materials for mechanical seals and rotating equipment. The role focuses on tribology, advanced ceramics, coatings, and surface-engineered solutions to improve durability and reliability.

The position drives innovation across material systems, guides testing and validation, and collaborates with engineering, manufacturing, and academic partners to extend