Research Scientist III - Electrochemical Safety Research Institute

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Scientist III at UL Research Institutes Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI), based in our Houston, TX facilities. The Research Scientist III conducts literature reviews, designs and performs experiments, gathers data, develops preliminary findings, and prepares written reports and presentations that support the research and development activities of ESRI. The Research Scientist III works closely with ESRI leaders and researchers, as well as external project collaborators, to carry out tests and analyses associated with supercapacitor, battery, and other energy storage systems pertaining to novel materials and safety science to ensure all processes are accurate and technically sound.

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Electrochemical Safety team who conduct the research required to produce that knowledge and put into practice.

The Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI) investigates the safety and performance limits of energy technologies. Through our discovery-driven research, we innovate, test, model, and lay the foundation for electrochemical energy storage that is both safe and reliable. Our scientific research helps everyone in the energy storage and battery value chain — from cell and battery manufacturers, suppliers, and original equipment manufacturers to recyclers, shippers, and consumers — understand and thereby help minimize the various safety risks associated with batteries in various applications, including electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.

Collaborating with a wide variety of partners to help meet the world’s energy safety needs, we disseminate information by convening a diverse group of stakeholders at events such as global battery summits and webinars to find data‑driven solutions to new and emerging energy storage risks.

As the Research Scientist III, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Identify and actively pursue the understanding of fundamental knowledge required to enhance ULRI’s thought leadership and support the strategy of ULRI.
• Use design of experiment (DOE): plan, execute, and complete initial and follow‑up procedures, as required, to test and validate results.
• Apply extensive knowledge of engineering technology and systems engineering concepts to the specific research tasks, exercising a high degree of judgment in formulating, evaluating, and correlating broad engineering research concepts and guiding the analysis of unique problems and developing new and improved techniques and methods. Analyze data and laboratory test results to determine trends, form data‑driven conclusions, and develop solutions.
• Handle and work with various materials (inorganic, organic, polymers, composites, solvents, etc.) for synthesis and (dis) assembly for characterization with independent operation of instrumentation setup and data collection and provide insights through data analyses.
• Disseminate results internally and externally in Microsoft Office formats and peer‑reviewed journal publications; present at conferences, speaking engagements (podcast, webinars, teaching, panels, etc.), and other events representation.
• Serve as a point of contact on research projects, engaging, collaborating, cross‑trains, and guiding partners and team members on related knowledge transfer based upon individual subject matter expertise.
• Stay abreast of the latest literature in the field by reading journals, scientific publications, industry news, safety events, and…