Sr Research Chemist-Scientist

Scitech Services - Gunpowder, MD

Full-time - Senior

Gunpowder, MD

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Senior Research Chemist/Scientist at SciTech Services, Inc. will support the Smoke and Target Defeat Branch within the Research and Technology Directorate at DEVCOM CBC. This role involves conducting research, development, production, testing, and evaluation of smoke and obscurant materials, as well as non-lethal and unconventional payloads. The candidate will leverage their academic and practical expertise to provide technical support and conduct experiments to demonstrate innovative concepts.

Responsibilities

• Perform research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of obscurants, nonlethal and unconventional payloads and dissemination.
• Collaborate with team members to develop chemical and engineering solutions.
• Conduct research to improve the design, properties, manufacture, processing, packaging, operation, performance, and effectiveness of aerosol/smoke/obscurant.
• Analyze commercially available materials and prepare samples or materials for use as smoke and obscurants and nonlethal and unconventional payloads.
• Operate test apparatus and instrumentation to collect optical data in the visible, IR and microwave regions.
• Become familiar with theoretical models to support the investigation of new materials and techniques.
• Design, develop, fabricate, and evaluate improved or novel materials to enhance current obscurants and provide nonlethal and unconventional payloads.
• Determine aerosol characteristics of obscurants produced after delivery from various platforms.
• Develop novel materials for obscuration in the millimeter wave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Fabricate novel materials to be tested in collaboration with relevant universities.
• Perform XPS spectroscopy and data analysis in collaboration with other US Government organizations on metal organic framework (MOF) subunits adhered to silica supports.
• Conduct synthetization of flame-retardant coating for obscuration material that obscures in the IR region.
• Collaborate with relevant Universities on testing obscure materials in extreme environments.
• Collaborate with internal and external research teams on synthesis and characterization of materials and meta materials for obscuration.
• Assist Smoke and Target Defeat Branch individual(s) in the operation of the Breeze Tunnel to conduct Breeze Tunnel vapor experiments involving drones.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Security clearance.
• Ph.D. in chemistry or relevant engineering/scientific field with 1 year of laboratory experience as a research chemist, or a master's degree with 6 years of experience, or a bachelor's degree in chemistry with 8 years of experience.
• Prior hands-on research chemist work experience of at least 1 year in a laboratory environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Advanced communication skills for interaction with government representatives and industry partners.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, and knowledge of PC software for design of experiments and statistical analysis.
• Expertise with various analytical instrumentation techniques including NMR, SEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-VIS.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Vacation leave
• Sick leave