Job Description
Job Description
Job Title: Senior Research Scientist
Department: INEOS Nitriles
Location: Aurora, Illinois, USA
Purpose of the job:
The Senior Research Scientist position, supervised by Head of R&D, is a technical expert and member of a multidisciplinary technical team that is tasked with the discovery and development of commercial catalyst technology for acrylonitrile manufacturers globally including internal operations and external customers and licensees of the technology. The primary responsibility of the position is to function as a technical innovator and independent research program SPA (Single Person Accountable) who delivers.
Accountabilities:
Research Program Management and Technical Leadership
- Function as the SPA (Single Person Accountable) and technical leader for assigned research program activities, resource utilization, and deliverables. The incumbent will provide:
- Active leadership and coordination of all laboratory and pilot catalyst design, preparation and screening activities, including safety assessments.
- Active leadership of fundamental catalyst materials understanding and its application in novel material exploration and commercial scale ups.
- Management of Intellectual Property (IP) monitoring and analysis as well as the competitor intelligence activities relevant to catalyst and inorganic functional materials applications.
- Specifically, initiate, plan, conduct and lead original research on one or more research and development projects that provide technology options of recognized value to the business.
Documentation and Intellectual Property
- Maintain accurate records of experimental findings in paper notebook and electronic laboratory data management platform.
- Summarize and communicate results of independent research to technical, management and commercial staff.
- Monitor and maintain a current awareness of the technical, scientific, and patent literature in the catalysis and related technical fields.
- Document research findings in regular written updates, presentations and comprehensive technical reports.
- Conceive and develop patentable inventions of value to the business.
- Prepare written invention disclosures based on original research and ideas. Work directly with Patent and Licensing in the drafting of patent applications and in the prosecution of patent filings.
Engineering, Manufacturing and Commercial Collaborations
- Work collaboratively with pilot plant engineers and technicians, plant manufacturing engineers and technician, and commercial and business teams as required to deliver research program objectives.
Safety, Health and Environment (SHE)
- Demonstrate safety leadership by mentoring technical staff and peers to adhere to best safety practices in all laboratory and pilot plant and work activities.
- Conduct all laboratory and operation of laboratory equipment in accordance with the appropriate written and approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Task Hazard Assessments (THA).
- Write, modify and update SOPs and THAs as required.
- Maintain a safe working environment including adhering to all SHE, regulatory, and compliance and training requirements including:
- Management of change (MOC)
- Handling and disposal of hazardous waste
- Lockout-Tag out (LOTO)
- Site safety and security requirements
- Actively practice, teach and demonstrate the 20 Principles for Behavioral and Process Safety.
Non-routine and Professional Development
- Be proactive in the development of professional skills and capabilities through training courses and scientific conference participation.
- Write scientific articles for peer reviewed journals as approved by management.
- Contribute to and/or make technical presentations and scientific conferences as approved by management.
- Actively support and participate in professional societies. Take on leadership roles as appropriate.
- Take responsibility for one or more team-supporting safety function as required.
Required Profile:
Level of education and experience
- PhD in chemistry, or chemical engineering
- 5-10 years combined academic and industrial research experience in functional inorganic material, preferably in catalysis for organic chemistry; Outstanding publication and inventorship record.
Technical Skills
- Track record of conducting independent research and technology delivery.
- Proven laboratory skills.
- Practical experience leveraging large language models (LLM) and machine learning (ML) in research projects, spanning literature review, experimental design, data analysis, and predictive modeling preferred.
- Hands-on experience with modern laboratory and/or pilot plant automation workflows for inorganic material preparation, characterization, and advanced research data management platforms preferred.
Behavioural skills
- Bold and innovative thinker, willing to propose and test “out of the box” ideas, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and deliver results within a dynamic, cross-functional team environment; a “will do, can do” attitude.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Excel in working on a multidisciplinary team, enabling effective collaboration and management of allocated research resources.
- Performance bias, action oriented
- Commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth
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