Scientist, Battery Materials (Li-ion / Na-ion)

Nodi; New York (NY); On-site; USD 143,000 - 204,000; Full time

Job summary

Radical AI, based in New York City, is hiring a battery materials scientist to lead Li-ion and Na-ion material development in a robotic, 24/7 lab. You will define the composition space, set synthesis and characterization protocols, and guide the self-driving platform with your electrochemical intuition.

You will design routes for cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, and related compounds, translate results into next rounds, and collaborate with automation and ML teams to embed expertise into

Qualifications

• PhD in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or related field.
• Experience synthesizing inorganic materials and characterizing with standard tools (XRD, SEM, electrochemical testing).
• Comfort in fast-moving, iterative environments with rapid experiment cycles.

Responsibilities

• Design synthesis routes for battery-relevant materials (cathodes, anodes, electrolytes).
• Characterize materials using standard techniques and translate results to next-round synthesis decisions.
• Collaborate with automation and ML teams to encode expertise into self-driving lab protocols.
• Interpret data and steer the platform on what to explore next.
• Contribute to the broader science roadmap as the program grows.

Skills

Inorganic synthesis

Materials characterization

Li-ion & Na-ion chemistry

Automation & AI interest

Education

PhD in materials science, chemistry, or chemical engineering

Tools

XRD

SEM

Electrochemical testing

Job description

Compensation $143,000 – $204,000 per year USD

Interested in this role?

About Radical AI

Radical AI is a materials company replacing the R&D process that currently takes 10 years and $100 million to produce a single discovery. Instead of leaving world-changing industries like aerospace, automotive, energy, manufacturing, semiconductors, and space to engineer around material shortcomings, Radical invents new materials for specific performance goals in a matter of weeks. This acceleration of research is fueled by scientific agents that simulate novel compositions and then send them directly into an automated lab for physical synthesis, characterization, and validation.

The Role

Radical is hiring a battery materials scientist to bring deep expertise in Li-ion or Na-ion chemistry to a robotic lab that runs synthesis and characterization around the clock. You will define the composition space worth exploring—electrode chemistries, dopants, precursor routes, or electrolyte formulations—and set the synthesis and characterization protocols the platform executes. Where a traditional lab tests one candidate at a time, here you queue up dozens, review the resulting structural and electrochemical data as it comes in, and use it to decide the next round. You bring the electrochemical intuition that took years to build; the platform gives you the throughput to test it at a scale no bench scientist has ever had. You will not run experiments one at a time and hope—you will design the space of what to try, and watch the platform explore all of it, fast.

What You Will Do

• Design synthesis routes for battery-relevant materials (cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, or related compounds), spanning Li-ion and Na-ion chemistries.
• Characterize materials using standard techniques (XRD, SEM, electrochemical cycling, and related methods) and translate results into next-round synthesis decisions.
• Work with Radical's automation and ML teams to encode your domain expertise into the self-driving lab's experiment design and decision loops.
• Interpret ambiguous or conflicting data and decide what the platform should try next.
• Contribute to the broader science roadmap as Radical's battery materials program grows.

What You Bring

• PhD in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field, with research focused on Li-ion or Na-ion materials — synthesis, characterization, or both. Recent graduates and early-career researchers (0-5 years post-PhD) are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Hands-on experience synthesizing inorganic materials and characterizing them with standard tools (XRD, electron microscopy, electrochemical testing).
• Comfort working in a fast-moving, iterative environment where experiment cycles happen in days, not months.
• Genuine interest in automation and AI as tools that extend, not replace, scientific judgment.
• Industry experience is a plus but not required — most of Radical's strongest candidates come directly from academic research groups.

Logistics

This is an in-person role based in New York City. Radical supports relocation for the right candidate.