Research Scientist

Pulpdent; Watertown (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Pulpdent is seeking an R&D product development scientist with a background in dental, medical, adhesive, or polymer materials to join our Watertown R&D team. This role drives product development from concept to commercialization, delivering innovative products for clinicians and patients.

The scientist will own end-to-end R&D activities, work with cross-functional teams, and ensure design controls and documentation practices support sustained innovation and product pipeline strategy.

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc with applicable industrial/translational experience in dental/medical materials or related field.
• Hands-on formulation development and experimental design experience.
• Strong technical writing and documentation skills (lab notebooks, reports, protocols).
• Comfortable cross-functional collaboration and presenting findings to mixed audiences.
• Knowledge of GMP/ISO methods and design controls is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end R&D for dental consumables from concept to launch in alignment with product management and design controls.
• Formulate and optimize restorative materials including resins, adhesives, cements, bases/liners, hydraulic cements, and related materials.
• Apply mechanistic understanding of photopolymerization, filler dispersion, and bioactive design to product development.
• Define technical strategy, hypotheses, experiment design, timelines, and risk mitigation for milestones.
• Mentor researchers and ensure robust lab methods, SOPs, and data integrity.

Skills

Formulation development

Experimental design

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical writing

Education

PhD in chemistry/dental materials/polymer science/related field

MS with 5+ years relevant experience

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel/PowerPoint)

Job description

Founded in 1947, Pulpdent Corporation is an industry-leading dental research and development (R&D) and manufacturing company. Pulpdent’s corporate headquarters, research laboratory, and manufacturing facilities are located in Watertown, Massachusetts, in the Boston metro area. Its products are distributed globally. Pulpdent is third-generation family-owned business that is widely respected for its innovative products and authentic company culture, which promotes work-life balance, employee retention, and product excellence. The enduring hallmarks of the Pulpdent brand are imagination, dedication, and empowerment, with each of these inspiring the daily work of Pulpdent’s 100-plus employees. To learn more about Pulpdent, including its breakthrough advances in bioactive dental materials and commitment to ethical business practices, visit pulpdent.com.

Job Summary

Pulpdent is seeking an R&D product development scientist with a background in dental, medical, adhesive, or polymer materials to join our research and development team within our dental consumables business. This role is ideal for a scientist who thrives on innovation and cross-functional collaboration while driving product development from concept to commercialization.

This role will be responsible for the continuous innovation that Pulpdent is known for, developing innovative products that advance dentistry for both dental clinicians and patients. To ensure strategic innovation, the scientist should have a strong sense of industry trends while being mindful of the alignment between industry and Pulpdent’s product pipeline strategy.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end R&D for dental consumables from concept → feasibility → development → validation → launch, in alignment with product management and design controls.
• Formulate and optimize restorative materials including resin composites, adhesives, cements, bases / liners, hydraulic cements, MTA, bioglass, ceramics, 3D printed resins, and desensitizers.
• Apply domain expertise in relevant mechanisms: photopolymerization, filler loading / dispersion, silane coupling, water aging / hydrolysis, and bioactive design.
• Define technical strategy and execution plans – hypotheses, experiment design, timelines, resources, risk mitigation – to meet project milestones.
• Own or co-own R&D deliverables within design control / design change projects (inputs/outputs, verification, validation support)
• Partnering cross-functionally with leadership team, including product, quality, regulatory, operations, and marketing.
• Manage feasibility and formulation development for moderate - to high-complexity product development - support sustaining engineering, CAPA investigations, and continuous improvement
• Design, execute, and interpret experiments to confirm performance, reliability, stability, and manufacturability; make data-driven recommendations.
• Develop and maintain robust lab methods and QC checks at the bench- and pilot-scale, including SOPs, work instructions, and data integrity practices.
• Provide technical mentorship to research associates and chemists; review and provide feedback on experimental design, documentation, and technical reports.
• Maintain excellent laboratory practices (GLP/GDP): safety, documentation, calibration, and controlled procedures.
• Communicate clearly via technical summaries, design reviews, and cross-functional updates; contribute to IP disclosures as needed.

Required Education & Experience

• PhD in chemistry, dental materials, polymer science, materials science, chemical engineering, biomaterials, or related field and 3+ years relevant industrial or translational lab experience; or
• Master of Science degree in disciplines listed above with 5+ years of directly relevant experience, including successful commercialization of at least one dental or medical consumable product.
• Demonstrated hands‑on expertise in formulation development and experimental design.
• Strong technical writing and documentation skills (lab notebooks, reports, protocols) and proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel/PowerPoint).
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills; comfortable presenting technical conclusions to mixed technical / non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred Education & Experience

• Direct experience with one or more: adhesives, composites, resin cements, GIC / RMGI, hydraulic cements, MTA, bioceramics, bioglass, silicates, zirconia, desensitizers, bioactive remineralization systems, or adjacent technologies.
• Familiarity with relevant characterization and testing: rheology/viscosity, degree of conversion, depth of cure, mechanical testing (flexural / compressive), water sorption / solubility, radiopacity, aging / thermocycling, ion release, etc.
• Experience supporting manufacturing scale‑up, pilot builds, and process robustness (mixing / dispersion, batch controls, incoming material specs).
• Working knowledge of medical device development practices: design controls, risk management, change control, and regulated documentation culture.
• Exposure to dental or medical standards and substantiation approaches (ISO/ADA methods), and /or stability program design.
• Experience with public speaking and poster/research presentations at industry or scientific conferences.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• On‑site role in Watertown, MA with routine laboratory work.
• Ability to work safely with chemicals and hazardous materials using appropriate PPE; able to perform bench work (standing, lifting light‑to‑moderate lab items, repetitive pipetting / mixing)

Other duties as assigned

Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice

PULPDENT is an equal opportunity employer. We employ a diverse workforce and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply for employment.