Experimental Materials Scientist

Job Title: Experimental Material Scientist (Thermoelectrics)

Location: Hybrid (London, Cambridge, Remote)

Type: Full-time (starting ASAP)

Benefits: Competitive salary and compensation package (Up to £50K per annum)

About Mater-AI

Mater-AI is a materials science start-up out of London, UK. We are pioneering the use of AI to accelerate the discovery of next-generation materials, with a focus on thermoelectric materials. Our mission is to change the energy landscape as we know it today by converting waste heat into clean electricity.

Role Overview

We are seeking an exceptional Experimental Materials Scientist who is curious, resilient, and energised to lead the synthesis, characterisation, and testing of novel thermoelectric materials predicted by our AI discovery engine. You will take ownership of wet lab synthesis, characterisation, performance testing, and synthesis mapping, driving the translation of computational predictions into real-world breakthroughs. You have hands-on experience bridging the gap between computational design and experimental validation, and a proven ability to make things work in the lab. Proactive and adaptable, you thrive in a fast-paced startup environment and communicate effectively across disciplines. You'll play a key role in validating our AI-driven material discoveries, working at world-class facilities at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. This role is ideal for a hands-on experimentalist who enjoys exploration, iteration, and building from the ground up. This role includes regular travel to our world-class partner labs, with training provided on all relevant lab equipment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and take ownership of the synthesis, characterisation, and performance testing of novel functional thermoelectric materials for device fabrication, independently leading the fabrication of inorganic systems from thin-film deposition (e.g. sputtering, PVD, CVD, PLD) through to bulk synthesis (e.g. solid-state reactions, spark plasma sintering, field-assisted sintering) and prototype device fabrication, driving the translation of computational predictions into experimentally validated materials.
• Design, execute, and analyse experiments for material fabrication and performance (e.g. Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, Hall effect, thermal diffusivity, and stability).
• Develop and maintain synthesis-mapping protocols to document film-to-bulk and process-structure-property relationships.
• Experience with materials characterisation (e.g. XRD, SEM, EDS, Raman, DSC, probe-station measurements) is essential.
• Familiarity with wet-chemical precursor synthesis or nanostructuring approaches (e.g. sol-gel, hydrothermal, electrodeposition) is desirable but not required.
• Collaborate closely with the rest of the team to validate predictions, guide synthesis priorities, and refine computational models through experimental feedback.
• Reviewing and staying up to date with the latest literature.
• Utilise world class facilities at our collaborators.
• Maintain accurate experimental documentation and adhere to rigorous safety and reproducibility standards.
• Contribute to technical reports, publications, and joint R&D projects with academic and industrial partners.

Requirements

• MSc, PhD, Post-Doc in experimental Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience with solid-state materials synthesis, characterisation, or thermoelectric property measurements.
• Familiarity with vacuum deposition systems, high-temperature synthesis, or electrical/thermal property measurement setups.
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Proactive, creative, and excited by the challenge of pioneering new materials.
• Excellent analytical, organisational, and communication skills.
• Ability to build and maintain high-throughput experimental infrastructure in an early-stage R&D environment.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to first-principles physics-based modelling.
• Experience with high-throughput or combinatorial materials discovery workflows.
• Background in thin-film thermoelectric devices or microfabrication.
• Understanding of materials informatics or data-driven experimental workflows.
• Prior work in energy materials (thermoelectrics, batteries, semiconductors).

If you do not quite fulfil all of the requirements then don't worry, apply anyway

Benefits

• Competitive salary and compensation package
• Key contributor: set the direction of Mater-AI's research and growth from Day 1.
• Being our second hire We are a small close-knit team of 4 currently.
• Contribute to cutting-edge computational and materials research.
• Access to top university and industrial facilities.
• Full-time office in central London (Moorgate)
• More benefits as we grow, with the ability to influence which benefits are added.

We review applications on a rolling basis, so apply today and join us in transforming how we use materials to change the energy landscape

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: £40,000.00-£50,000.00 per year

Application question(s):

• Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status?
• What are your salary expectations?

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London, EC2Y 9DT