Thermal Engineer

Pascal is seeking an experienced engineering physicist to work at the intersection of materials science, applied physics, and thermal engineering. This role will be primarily responsible for advancing our systems development pipeline, expanding our testing capabilities, and ensuring we learn what we want to know.

Pascal has translated its core solid refrigerant technology into a commercial‑scale refrigerator prototype. Fully realizing its potential now requires coordinated optimization across the technology stack—from materials and components to system architecture and controls. This role will be central to this effort.

We are looking to add a talented problem solver who can creatively tackle open‑ended thermodynamic and chemical process‑flow problems with a disciplined engineering mindset. The ideal candidate will join a small team in a young startup and take on whatever roles are needed to advance the technology along its maturation path. While the primary focus will be running investigative experiments and engineering validation tests in the laboratory, working within a small team naturally creates opportunities—and expectations—to contribute to product and prototype design, chemical synthesis, systems engineering, controls, and occasional corporate development tasks.

Applicants should have 5+ years of experience in physics, chemical engineering, or thermal engineering, with prior experience in developing and validating experimental systems for energy, thermal, or refrigeration applications. Hands‑on experience with prototype hardware is essential. Familiarity with phase‑change phenomena, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics is strongly preferred.

• Design, build, and execute experiments to characterize thermodynamic, transport, and kinetic behavior in novel solid refrigerant systems.
• Develop and utilize Pascal’s test rigs and prototype subsystems to evaluate the thermal and mass transport properties of solid refrigerant composites, and to validate system‑level assumptions under a range of operating conditions.
• Analyze experimental data to extract physically meaningful parameters and translate these results into actionable design constraints for materials, components, and systems.
• Collaborate with Pascal’s engineers to design experimental equipment and develop robust test procedures.
• Develop and execute long‑term test campaigns on solid refrigerant systems to assess performance and reliability, and to identify key failure modes of critical system components.
• Contribute to building and nurturing the company’s culture and values.
• Mentor interns and co‑op students on R&D‑related projects.

• 5+ years of experience in technology development for novel physical and/or chemical processes.
• Hands‑on experience building and testing prototype machines or systems.
• An engineering or science degree with a strong grounding in fundamental or applied physics.
• Demonstrated knowledge in phase‑change phenomena, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
• A self‑starter who can seamlessly transition between independent work, contributing as a team member, and leading when needed.
• A strong experimental mindset with a clear understanding of the relationship between creative ideation and disciplined test design (formal QA processes, statistical methods, structured knowledge gathering, and exploratory experimentation).
• An affinity for pragmatic outcomes, with a focus on producing results that directly enable the next step in technology development.

Only applications sent through the Polymer portal below will be reviewed: