Description
Cranleigh STEM is proud to partner with a high-growth start-up developing breakthrough technology to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
As part of its growth, the team is seeking a Senior Chemist to lead the development of high-value carbon materials derived from its proprietary process. This is a key technical role offering the opportunity to shape product applications, influence process design, and contribute to scale-up efforts for a technology with major climate impact.
Senior Chemist responsibilities
- Develop pathways to convert base carbon material into high-value forms (e.g. activated carbon, hard carbon).
- Evaluate upgraded carbon products for application in targeted markets, such as energy storage or filtration.
- Characterise carbon materials using analytical techniques including BET, XRD, SEM and others.
- Optimise carbon processing methods to maximise product quality while minimising energy and resource use.
- Collaborate with process engineers and product development teams to integrate material innovations into production.
- Contribute to scale-up activities, progressing from lab-scale (grams) to pilot and commercial quantities (kilograms to tonnes).
- Design purification and separation processes for carbon materials.
- Ensure all laboratory activities meet safety, risk assessment and COSHH standards.
- Provide day-to-day supervision and mentorship to one junior chemist.
Senior Chemist requirements
- Degree qualified (ideally to PhD level) in Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
- Proven experience gained in a research or industrial experience focused on carbon materials or related fields.
- Deep understanding of carbon material characteristics and synthesis/activation routes.
- Hands-on experience with key characterisation techniques (BET, XRD, SEM, etc.).
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to design and iterate experiments independently.
- Familiarity with laboratory safety protocols and best practice (risk assessments, COSHH).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-moving environment.
Desirable
- Experience with catalyst development or microwave-assisted chemistry.
- Prior involvement in early-stage or scale-up ventures.
- Familiarity with carbon applications in filtration, batteries, or adsorbents.
