Staff Engineer, Battery Carbon Materials

lyten; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Lyten seeks a Staff Engineer, Battery Carbon Materials to advance carbon materials for energy storage. You will establish mechanistic links between carbon structure and electrochemical performance, including lithium wetting and intercalation, to guide material design and scale-up.

You will lead electrochemical evaluations with coin-cell and pouch-cell testing, partner with cross-functional teams, and mentor junior scientists to sustain a culture of scientific rigor and rapid learning.

Qualifications

• PhD in battery topic with 3+ years in a related field or Master’s in relevant field with 5+ years or Bachelor’s with 7+ years (equivalent experience).
• Strong knowledge of carbon materials and their electrochemistry in battery systems.
• Deep understanding of lithium wetting and lithium intercalation.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies for design, optimization, and evaluation of advanced carbon materials for energy storage.
• Establish mechanistic understanding of lithium wetting, intercalation, and related transport in carbon materials.
• Translate structure–property–performance relationships into material specs and targets for synthesis and process development.
• Lead electrochemical evaluation using coin-cell and pouch-cell methods; interpret results relative to material properties and cell design.
• Collaborate with process, characterization, and manufacturing teams to iterate material solutions.
• Mentor scientists, engineers and technicians, fostering rigorous, collaborative work.

Skills

Carbon materials

Electrochemistry

Lithium intercalation

Lithium wetting

Structure-property

Materials science

Experiment design

Mentoring

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in battery topic

Master's in relevant field

Bachelor's in relevant field

Tools

Coin-cell testing equipment

Pouch-cell testing

Characterization methods

Job description

Lyten is leading an industrial revolution through Lyten 3D Graphene™, a breakthrough supermaterial unlocking a new generation of products - from lithium-sulfur batteries and energy storage systems to concrete admixtures, lightweight composites, and next-generation sensors that are revolutionizing industries. Together, these innovations are making a massive global improvement and driving real-world impact across energy, mobility, construction, and defense.

At Lyten, we believe the most meaningful careers begin with purpose - and with people who want to make a difference. We're not just developing advanced supermaterials - we're about to change the world as we know it, reshaping how energy is stored, how products are built, and how progress is made.

We're entering an exciting growth phase, scaling production across the U.S. and Europe and expanding our team of engineers, scientists, and innovators.

Staff Engineer, Battery Carbon Materials

Lyten is seeking a highly motivated Staff Engineer, Battery Carbon Materials with deep expertise in carbon materials and electrochemistry, together with a strong understanding of the synthesis and processing of advanced carbon materials. This role sits at the intersection of materials science and electrochemistry and is responsible for developing next-generation carbon materials for energy storage applications by establishing a fundamental understanding of how carbon structure and properties influence electrochemical performance.

The successful candidate will establish a mechanistic understanding of how carbon structure, morphology, porosity, surface chemistry, defects, and processing influence electrochemical performance and long-term stability. A key aspect of the role is uncovering how carbon materials interact with lithium and electrolytes across different electrode environments including the mechanisms governing lithium wetting, lithium intercalation, and related transport and interfacial behavior in graphene-based materials, graphite, and hard carbons. These insights will be used to guide material design, improve performance, and accelerate development.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute technical strategies for the design, optimization, and evaluation of advanced carbon materials for energy-storage applications.
• Develop mechanistic understanding of lithium wetting, lithium intercalation, and related transport and interfacial behavior in carbon materials, including graphene-based materials, graphite, and hard carbons.
• Establish mechanistic understanding of how carbon structure, morphology, pore architecture, surface chemistry, defects, crystallinity, particle-size distribution, and processing affect electrochemical behavior.
• Investigate carbon-electrolyte interactions across electrode environments, including swelling, wetting, ion transport, interfacial reactions, stability, and cycle life.
• Translate structure-property-performance relationships into clear material specifications and actionable targets for synthesis and process development.
• Formulate hypotheses and design efficient experiments that distinguish competing mechanisms, maximize learning, and support rapid technical decisions.
• Lead electrochemical evaluation of candidate materials using appropriate electrode-level, coin-cell, and pouch-cell methods, and interpret results in the context of material properties and cell design.
• Partner closely with process, characterization, and manufacturing teams to iterate rapidly on material and process solutions.
• Proactively identify promising scientific directions, new analytical approaches, and emerging technologies that can improve material or cell performance.
• Communicate technical findings clearly to both technical and leadership audiences through concise reports, presentations, and recommendations.
• Mentor scientists, engineers, and technicians and contribute to a culture of scientific rigor, urgency, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate degree on a battery topic AND 3+ years of experience in a relevant field... OR Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., materials science, electrochemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering) AND 5+ years of experience in a relevant field ...OR Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., chemistry (electrical), materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering) AND 7+ years of experience in a relevant field...OR equivalent experience.
• Strong knowledge of carbon materials and their electrochemistry in battery systems including interfacial phenomena, electrolyte behavior, transport processes, and degradation mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of lithium wetting and lithium intercalation