Principal Materials Discovery Engineer — Scale & Innovate

UL Research Institutes; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 131,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus compensation

Medical, dental, vision

401k matching

Paid time off

Job summary

UL Research Institutes in Skokie, IL seeks a Principal Research Engineer to drive design, development, and deployment of testing equipment for advanced materials—from lab concepts to pilot demonstrations.

You will lead cross-functional programs, set technical standards, build external partnerships, mentor staff, and advance safety-focused materials applications with data-driven rigor.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, or related field with 10+ years post-Ph.D. experience.
• Or Master’s degree with 12+ years post-master’s experience in related discipline.
• Or Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years post-bachelor’s experience in related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex technical programs delivering safe, high-quality results on schedule and budget.
• Define technical strategy, engineering standards, and capability investments for prototype systems.
• Mentor staff and foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Drive data integrity and scientific rigor using LIMS and data-driven decision tools.

Skills

Materials discovery

Prototype systems design

Scale-up testing

Data integrity

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in chemical engineering / mechanical engineering / materials science

Master’s in chemical engineering / mechanical engineering / materials science

Bachelor’s in chemical engineering / mechanical engineering / materials science

Tools

LIMS

Data repositories

Job description

UL Research Institutes in Skokie, IL seeks a Principal Research Engineer to drive design, development, and deployment of testing equipment for advanced materials—from lab concepts to pilot demonstrations.

You will lead cross-functional programs, set technical standards, build external partnerships, mentor staff, and advance safety-focused materials applications with data-driven rigor.