Senior R&D Scientist

CK Group are recruiting for a Senior R&D Scientist - Atmospheric Water Harvesting, to join a small start-up team to focus on the design and scale up of systems that improve their overall performance in adsorbing/desorbing water vapor. The company is currently working on technologies in the fields of atmospheric water harvesting and CO2 capture.

The ideal candidate for this role must be a mechanical or chemical engineer with over 5 years of industry experience working with gas systems, such as water vapor, CO2, nitrogen, or air. This includes experience with adsorption and desorption processes using thermal, pressure, or vacuum methods, particularly in pressure swing adsorption systems. Candidates from reputable schools or companies with simulation experience are preferred. Additionally, the role requires the candidate to be available to work onsite 5 days a week.

Location: Irvine, California (full time, onsite position) 

Contract type: Full-time, permanent position

Salary: $120,000 - $140.000pa base

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Work with and report to the head of Product Engineering to achieve the department goals of scaling up commercial-grade MOF/COF-based atmospheric water harvesting technology.
• Collaborate closely with R&D scientists to process the technical and functional specifications of MOF/COFs coming out of the R&D.
• Responsible for the system-level design and development of the heat management system, including optimization of heat exchangers, thermal storage, optimization of fluids transfer, pumps, fans, and filters that will operate on the MOF/COFs.
• Design, plan and scale up the technologies from prototype stage to commercial stage.
• Identify and optimize critical component and system-level parameters to improve overall product performance in terms of production capacity, energy efficiency, lifetime (reliability/durability), yield, cost, safety, and operation.
• Evaluate and manage sourcing of materials and components, taking into consideration the whole process from sourcing to final assembly and packaging
• Help set up the QC/QA processes and procedures for production.
• Maintain an electronic notebook detailing all observations and measurements.
• Contribute to the intellectual property of the company by writing and participating in invention disclosures.
• Perform periodic reporting to management and participate in technical meetings.

Qualifications:

• PhD in mechanical engineering or similar field from an accredited institution, along with a demonstrated record of achievement in research.
• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
• More than 5 years of industrial R&D experience.
• Industry experience in designing system-level prototypes.
• Experience in simulation tools for thermal design, thermal analysis, and energy performance.
• Familiar with health and safety procedures in production.
• Thrive in a culture that values diversity, collaboration, precision, and learning.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• A track record of successful scale-up prototypes or experimentation.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Apply:

It is essential that applicants hold entitlement to work in the US. Please quote job reference 107 943 in all correspondence.