Senior/Chief Scientist

Hollingsworth & Vose; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

Hollingsworth & Vose is creating a dedicated scientific role for a pioneer researcher: someone who works best at the frontier of a field, defines their own questions, and is energized by the absence of a roadmap. Your mandate is to identify, investigate, and de-risk platform-level opportunities in porous media—materials and mechanisms that could define entirely new product categories for H&V.

You will report directly to senior R&D leadership, operating with genuine scientific autonomy.

Qualifications

• PhD in STEM or BS/MS with equivalent work experience.
• Track record of originating research and successful commercialization.
• First-author publications and/or named inventorship.

Responsibilities

• Scan the porous media landscape for convergence zones and white-space opportunities.
• Formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and de-risk them at TRL 1–3.
• Publish, present, and collaborate with academic partners; act as HV's scientific antenna.
• Apply computational and AI-assisted tools to accelerate discovery cycles.
• Communicate findings clearly to senior R&D and executive leadership.
• Identify opportunities to connect platform concepts to HV's capabilities and lead commercialization efforts.

Skills

Porous media expertise

Computational fluency

Design of experiments

Python data analysis

High-throughput screening

External collaboration

Education

PhD in STEM

BS/MS with equivalent experience

Publications or inventorship

10+ years product development

Tools

Python

Bayesian optimization

DOE/DoE

High-throughput platforms

Job description

H&V is a global leader in filtration and energy storage solutions. Our advanced materials are used in nearly every industry and touch every aspect of modern life. Wherever you work, live or travel, chances are an H&V solution is close by, contributing to a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable world. H&V serves the world from 13 strategically located facilities. Our footprint in the Americas, Europe and Asia lets us meet the unique requirements of global and regional customers efficiently, accurately and cost effectively, while capturing supply chain efficiencies. These advantages help make H&V a valuable partner and a true worldwide leader. Our success comes from our ability to adapt, our values and the people of H&V. We act with integrity, and we treat customers, partners and each other with dignity and respect. We live these values every day and could not have prospered for more than 200 years without them.

Summary

Hollingsworth & Vose is creating a dedicated scientific role for a pioneer researcher: someone who works best at the frontier of a field, defines their own questions, and is energized by the absence of a roadmap. Your mandate is to identify, investigate, and de-risk platform-level opportunities in porous media — materials and mechanisms that could define entirely new product categories for H&V. You will report directly to senior R&D leadership, operating with genuine scientific autonomy. Title depends on experience and track record in the industry.

Essential Functions And Responsibilities

• Scan the porous media landscape — nonwovens, polymer membranes, MOFs, zeolites, aerogels, other fibrous structures — for convergence zones and white-space opportunities invisible from within a single material class.
• Formulate original research hypotheses, design experiments to de-risk them, and execute at TRL 1–3 with full scientific independence.
• Build and maintain an active presence in the external scientific community: publish, present, collaborate with academic partners, and serve as H&V's scientific antenna in your domain.
• Apply computational and AI-assisted tools — high-throughput experimentation, design of experiments, Bayesian optimization — to accelerate discovery cycles.
• Communicate findings clearly to senior R&D and executive leadership: what you found, what it means, and — just as importantly — what you killed and why.
• Identify opportunities to connect emerging platform concepts to H&V's existing technical and manufacturing capabilities where genuine synergy exists.
• Lead or aid in the commercialization of platform concepts

Education And Experience

• PhD in STEM category - Chemical, Mechanical, Material sciences, and other porous media related disciplines or BS/MS degrees with equivalent work experience
• A track record of originating research and successful commercialization,
• First-author publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or Named inventorship (not just assignee)
• 10+ years of product development experience

Strongly Differentiating

• Cross-domain literacy across the porous media landscape. Deep expertise in one material class is expected;
• Computational and AI fluency: proficiency in design of experiments and Bayesian optimization (required); Python or equivalent scripting for data analysis (strongly preferred); familiarity with high-throughput experimentation platforms or closed-loop optimization systems (a real differentiator).
• An active, generative external scientific network — not passive literature consumption. Conference participation, invited presentations, peer-review activity, or academic collaborations.
• The intellectual disposition to propose ideas that contradict current product logic and defend them with data.
• Previous technology scouting experience

Hollingsworth & Vose is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.

Starting salary at $140,000

Hollingsworth & Vose is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.