Senior Catalyst Engineer

Andros Innovations Incorporated; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Job summary

Andros Innovations in Boston seeks a Senior Catalyst Engineer to own the heart of our low-pressure ammonia synthesis platform. You will scale catalyst synthesis, design high-throughput test rigs, and optimize reactor environments for unprecedented efficiency.

You will apply advanced characterization (XRD, BET, SEM/TEM) and data analytics (Python/MATLAB/JMP) to understand performance, drive durability testing, and ensure safe, scalable operation while collaborating with process engineers.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemistry (or 5+ years of exceptional industry experience).
• Deep expertise in heterogeneous catalysis, kinetics, active sites, support interactions, and poisoning mechanisms.
• Hands-on reactor experience with packed-bed or flow systems; capable of fixing issues without technician help.
• Data fluency with Python, MATLAB, or JMP to analyze kinetic data and model reactor performance.

Responsibilities

• Scale catalyst synthesis from lab batches to kilogram-scale production for pilot testing.
• Own the test rig: design, build, and operate automated high-throughput catalyst screening rigs and pilot reactors.
• Characterization loop: use XRD, BET, SEM/TEM, and Chemisorption to understand performance and iterate synthesis.
• Design durability tests to prove material survives thousands of hours under industrial conditions.
• Collaborate on safety: define safe operating window (P&ID review, HAZOP) for scaling ammonia production.

Skills

Heterogeneous catalysis

Python

MATLAB

Data analysis

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering

PhD in Materials Science

PhD in Chemistry

5+ years industry experience

Tools

Swagelok

Mass flow controllers

Thermocouples

XRD

BET

SEM/TEM

Chemisorption

Job description

Senior Catalyst Engineer Application for Andros Innovations

The Mission: Retire The Haber-Bosch Process.

Humanity relies on the Haber-Bosch process to feed 4 billion people, but it consumes ~1% of the world's energy and spews gigatons of carbon dioxide. At Andros, we are building the reactor to end this dependency. We are developing a decentralized, low-pressure ammonia synthesis platform to decarbonize the future of food and fuel. We need a Senior Catalyst Engineer to own the heart of our technology and scale it from the glovebox to the field.

The Role

You will stand at the intersection of Materials Science and Process Engineering. You will not just synthesize powders; you will prove they work in the real world. You will be responsible for taking our proprietary catalyst, optimizing its performance, and designing the reactor environment that allows it operate at unprecedented efficiencies.

What you will actually do:

Scale the Synthesis: Take our catalyst synthesis from gram-scale lab batches to kilogram-scale production for pilot testing, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency.

Own the Test Rig: Design, build, and operate automated high-throughput catalyst screening rigs and single-tube pilot reactors. You are comfortable with Swagelok, mass flow controllers, and thermocouples.

Characterization Loop: Use XRD, BET, SEM/TEM, and Chemisorption to understand why a batch failed or succeeded, and iterate the synthesis immediately.

Lifecycle Engineering: It’s not enough to be active for an hour. You will design durability tests to prove our material survives thousands of hours of operation under industrial conditions.

Collaborate on Safety: Work with our process engineers to define the safe operating window (P&ID review, HAZOP) for scaling up ammonia production.

Must-Haves:

PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemistry (or 5+ years of exceptional industry experience).

Deep Expertise in Heterogeneous Catalysis: You understand kinetics, active sites, support interactions, and poisoning mechanisms.

Hands-on Reactor Experience: You have built or significantly modified a packed-bed or flow reactor system. You don't call a technician when a valve leaks; you fix it.

Data Fluency: You don't just use Excel. You use Python, MATLAB, or JMP to analyze kinetic data and model reactor performance.

Nice-to-Haves:

Direct experience with Ammonia Synthesis or high-pressure hydrogenation reactions.

Experience forming catalysts (pelletizing, extruding) for industrial beds.

Knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM) for toxic gases.

Why Andros?

Solve a Century-Defining Challenge: You will be working on one of the most significant hurdles in modern thermodynamics: breaking the nitrogen triple bond efficiently. This is not incremental optimization; it is a fundamental shift in how the world produces energy and food. Your work will directly contribute to decarbonizing gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Technical Ownership & Autonomy: As a senior technical leader, you will not just execute a roadmap; you will define it. You will have the authority to make critical engineering decisions, from material selection to reactor design, without the administrative bottlenecks found in large chemical conglomerates.

The Deep Tech Frontier: You will be working at the cutting edge of heterogeneous catalysis and reactor engineering. We are deploying novel hardware systems that move beyond standard industry practices. You will have access to the resources and tooling required to bridge the gap between theoretical chemistry and industrial application.

Mission-Driven Velocity: We operate with the urgency that the climate crisis demands. You will join a lean, high-caliber team where iteration cycles are measured in days, not quarters. We value rapid hypothesis testing, data-driven decisions, and scientific rigor.

Meaningful Equity: We believe that the engineers building the future should share in the value they create. As a key early member of the technical team, you will receive a competitive equity package that aligns your long-term incentives with the company’s success.

About Andros Innovations

Andros Innovations is a pioneer in advanced chemical engineering, redefining the global ammonia supply chain to fuel a decarbonized future. Our proprietary reactor technology disrupts the century-old Haber-Bosch process, enabling the efficient production of low-carbon ammonia at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure, unlocking a scalable path to green fertilizer and sustainable marine fuel.

Supported by Activate.org, Greentown Labs, Third Derivative, Massachusetts Center for Clean Energy and others Andros has been recognized as a top emerging deep-tech startup within our first year. Andros has received awards from MIT’s Climate and Energy Prize, Yale’s Climate Innovation Summit, The University of Connecticut and FORGE, for innovation and climate impact. We are transitioning from breakthrough science to industrial scale, building the technology needed to feed the next billion people and power the heavy industries of tomorrow without emissions.