Description
Lead research and development of novel chemical processes, materials, and reactor concepts by applying principles of chemistry, physics, and engineering. Design and execute laboratory and pilot experiments, analyze data and models to guide scale-up, and translate findings into manufacturable, safe, and efficient technologies.
- • Develop and enforce lab and pilot-plant safety procedures for chemical experiments.
- • Design experimental plans and unit-operation sequences (mixing, reaction, separation, heat and mass transfer).
- • Prepare technical reports, feasibility and cost assessments, and progress updates.
- • Lead and mentor staff building, operating, and improving experimental rigs, reactors, and analytics.
- • Plan and run laboratory and pilot-scale studies to validate concepts and de-risk scale-up.
- • Invent and optimize separations, catalysis, electrochemical, or reactive processes under controlled conditions.
- • Conduct fundamental and applied research to create new or improved chemical processes and materials.
- • Design instrumentation, data acquisition, and control schemes for experiments.
- • Lay out and specify experimental equipment, reactors, and test stands.
- • Diagnose and resolve issues in experiments and prototype processes to improve reliability and data quality.
- • Evaluate results to boost yield, selectivity, energy efficiency, and environmental performance; ensure compliance.
- • Execute tests and monitor variables such as temperature, pressure, flow, composition, density, and conversion.
- • Analyze experimental and process data using statistics and modeling; document and communicate findings.
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Advanced Manufacturing
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
