Sr. Artificial Intelligence Lab Scientist - Material Discovery

Aramco Americas Company

Sr. Artificial Intelligence Lab Scientist - Material Discovery (1844)

R&D / Houston Downstream Research Center - Houston, TX.

- Full Time

OVERVIEW:

Aramco Americas is establishing a state-of-the-art research center in Houston dedicated to advancing CO₂ capture, low-carbon liquid fuels and chemicals, renewable energy, and energy storage solutions, as well as artificial intelligence applications in the energy sector. The center's mission is to transform early-stage, low-TRL research into mid-level technologies (TRL 5-7), bridging the gap between fundamental discovery and practical deployment.

SCOPE:

Aramco Americas is seeking an experienced scientist specializing in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to accelerate next-generation materials discovery for carbon capture and utilization, catalysis for synthetic fuels and chemicals development, and related sustainable energy technologies. The role will apply AI/ML-driven modeling, simulation, and data analytics to understand and predict material structure-property-performance relationships and link these insights to industrially relevant processes.

The position will work closely with laboratory researchers and process development teams to translate computational discoveries into experimental validation, scale-up considerations, and practical implementation. The ideal candidate will possess a strong technical foundation in AI/ML-enabled material research, coupled with demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary research projects and driving innovations from concepts through deployment.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES:

• Develop and lead execution of energy related research projects (e.g., catalysis, adsorption, and energy transition related) with an emphasis on computational materials discovery.
• Organize project tasks and milestones, including evaluation of important schedules, deliverables, and resources.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and domain experts to understand challenges, frame AI-ready problem statements, and identify high-impact solutions.
• Lead end-to-end AI initiatives, including data acquisition, feature engineering, model deployment, and performance monitoring.
• Build or modify existing computational architecture for material development.
• Work with team members to transfer computational designs into laboratory samples.
• Collect and analyze data related to material properties and performance.
• Stay up to date on emerging technologies in the field of AI and ML.
• Identify collaborative opportunities with both internal and external partners based upon identified technical challenges and collaborator skill sets.
• Work with key business stakeholders to manage technology deployment.
• Write technicals reports, journal publications, and present findings at conferences.
• Provide and manage a safe, accident-free laboratory environment. Follow all company safety rules in performing job duties.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• PhD Degree in an Engineering or Science discipline with a preference towards computational materials analysis and discovery.
• Nine (9) years of relevant industrial experience related to energy materials design
• Preferred candidates will have research experience in theoretical, computational, modeling, and/or simulation of materials science or related fields, including familiarity with molecular dynamics and density functional theory methodologies.
• Preferred candidates will have experience in the application of AI and ML approaches to material development.
• Preferred candidates will be proficient in the Python coding language.
• Must be able to communicate and comprehend accurately, clearly and concisely in English at a level required to perform the job as outlined.
• Candidate should be comfortable in working independently or part of a project team, frequent project presentation and travel to meetings at conferences and universities. Must possess good work habits, a strong work ethic, and be able to adhere to company work hours, policies, and standard business etiquette.

NO THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES ACCEPTED