Technical Fellow - Materials

Cambium; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive compensation

Professional development reimbursement

Job summary

Cambium is seeking a Technical Fellow - Materials to lead fundamental structure-property-processing innovations for aerospace and automotive applications. You will guide technology from benchtop to production, mentor chemists, and partner with the commercial team to shape product portfolios.

You bring a PhD with 20+ years in materials science, a record of publications, and a collaborative leadership style to advance high-temperature composites, adhesives, and coatings.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field with 20+ years of R&D leadership experience.
• Strong track record of publications and scientific contributions.
• Expertise across polymers, chemistry, materials science and mechanics.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical projects (no direct supervisory responsibilities).
• Support rapid product development using structure–property–processing results.
• Advise and mentor chemists, engineers and scientists in materials screening & product development.
• Support the commercial team as needed.
• Contribute to IP generation, technical presentations, and collaborative R&D efforts.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Mentorship

Communication

Collaborative

Scale-up expertise

IP generation

Materials science knowledge

Education

PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or Biophysics

Tools

Computational chemistry tools

Job description

Defense, aerospace and other high-performance applications demand new material solutions stronger, lighter, higher temperature, and delivered faster than traditionally available. Cambium is disrupting advanced materials development, from molecular design to agile domestic manufacturing. Whether enabling hypersonic flight or protecting critical systems, our solutions push the limits of what’s possible. Cambium solves mission-critical problems in defense and industry. Our team of world‑class scientists and engineers was purpose built to take on those challenges. Come join us and revolutionize advanced materials for defense, aerospace, and beyond.

The Role

Reporting to the VP of Materials Science, the Technical Fellow - Materials will lead technical innovation across new product development, focusing on fundamental structure-property-processing relationships to bring novel chemistries to the aerospace and automotive sectors. The Technical Fellow is expected to guide nacent technology opportunities through formulation and scale-up as well as support the breadth of the product development team in advancing the portfolio of mid‑to‑high temperature composites, adhesives, and coatings.

Candidate should have deep expertise in polymer science, synthetic chemistry, materials science, and mechanics. Candidate will have a passion for material development, a track record of innovation, and demonstrated excellence in technical leadership and mentorship.

Candidate will advise and mentor chemists, materials engineers, scientists, and the commercial team on materials science methods, data interpretation, experimental design, and market opportunities. Candidate will be an individual contributor without direct supervisory responsibilities. Candidate will lead technical projects as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical projects (no direct supervisory responsibilities)
• Support rapid product development timelines utilizing fundamental structure-property-processing results to drive innovation and execution
• Advise and mentor chemists, engineers, and scientists in Cambium’s material screening and product development functions
• Support the commercial team as needed
• Contribute to IP generation, technical presentations and reports, and collaborative R&D efforts

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or Biophysics
• >20 years of experience leading technical R&D, and developing and mentoring technical staff
• Exceptional track record of scientific publications and presentations, and contributions to original scientific findings
• Superior knowledge in fundamental materials science, chemistry, polymers, and working knowledge of computational chemistry tools for material prediction and discovery
• Exceptional communication skills, self-starter, and a collaborative mindset
• Experience scaling from benchtop to production

Why Cambium?

• Work at the cutting edge of materials science
• Collaborate with world‑class scientists and engineers
• Influence product and platform development at an early stage
• Competitive compensation, equity, and benefits package

Cambium offers a highly competitive compensation and benefits plan. This includes excellent medical/dental/vision benefits, and a matching 401(k) plan, professional development reimbursement, and an opportunity for equity for most positions.