Senior Polymer Scientist — Lead Materials Innovation

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary package

Retirement annuity

Performance-based bonuses

Health insurance coverage

Professional development opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Materials Scientist specializing in advanced polymers to lead development and characterization of novel polymeric materials for cutting-edge applications. You will translate research into product innovations, working with product development, engineering, and manufacturing teams.

The role demands a Ph.D. in polymer science or related field, with 7+ years of experience, and hands-on expertise in synthesis, characterization, and processing of polymers,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. required in a polymer-related field and strong research background.
• 7+ years of relevant industrial or academic research experience in polymer science.
• Proven expertise in polymer synthesis, characterization, and processing.
• Hands-on experience with a wide range of analytical techniques (GPC, NMR, DSC, TGA, SEM, TEM, Rheology).
• Strong understanding of polymer physics and chemistry principles.
• Experience with computational modeling of polymer behavior is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize novel polymer materials with tailored properties for specific applications.
• Conduct comprehensive material characterization using spectroscopy, microscopy, thermal analysis, and mechanical testing.
• Develop and optimize processing methods for new polymer formulations.
• Investigate structure-property relationships in polymeric materials.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate new materials into product designs.
• Troubleshoot material-related issues in pilot and production environments.
• Lead research projects from conception through to material scale-up and validation.
• Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks and prepare technical reports and presentations.
• Stay current with advancements in polymer science and related fields.
• Mentor junior scientists and technicians in the materials research group.

Skills

Polymer synthesis

Polymer characterization

Polymer processing

Analytical techniques

Computational modeling

Education

Ph.D. in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field

Tools

GPC

NMR

DSC

TGA

SEM

TEM

Rheology

Job description

Placements24 in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Materials Scientist specializing in advanced polymers to lead development and characterization of novel polymeric materials for cutting-edge applications. You will translate research into product innovations, working with product development, engineering, and manufacturing teams.

The role demands a Ph.D. in polymer science or related field, with 7+ years of experience, and hands-on expertise in synthesis, characterization, and processing of polymers,