Semiconductor Solvents Scientist

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables.

As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2024 revenue of approximately $9.4 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit

The individual selected for this position will lead research to develop & commercialize high purity solvents for the semiconductor industry & other applications supporting the Coatings & Inks business at Eastman.

• Work with global teams focused on high purity solvent development projects for a range of applications including etching, cleaning, planarization and lithography processes.
• Apply deep understanding of the semiconductor industry to develop and refine new solvent products that meet requirements of end customers in photoresist, thinner, developer and cleaner.
• Communicate with customers to determine fitness-for-use criteria for specific customer applications and work with cross-functional teams to increase solvent manufacturing efficiency.
• Identify knowledge gaps & design research efforts to develop new solvent product offerings.
• Network with cross functional teams across R&D, marketing, sales & manufacturing to develop products which can transition quickly from process development to commercial supply.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing, engineering, and QC organizations during product scale up and commercialization.
• Develop technical literature to support new products or techniques.
• Serve as a technical expert on solvent physical properties and solvent polymer interactions.
• Serve as a resource for internal and external customers on market specific product and process technology.
• Establish peer level connect with customers and the industry technical community in order to maintain an up to date understanding of market dynamics, regulatory trends and competitive intellectual property.
• Support quality, health, and safety initiatives as they relate to formulation, material safety, and technical data sheets.
• Attend trade shows and technical conferences to align with market trends and establish strong connection to key customers and vendors.
• Travel to customers’ sites to discover needs, match fitness for use characteristics with product offerings, and support new sales opportunities through qualification.
• Mentor and support development of technicians and other technical personnel.

Safety:

• Comply with all corporate, division, and group safety requirements.
• Demonstrate commitment to continual safety improvement and model good safety behaviors.

Communication:

• Engage with customers to understand needs and to establish Eastman’s credibility as a reliable high quality supplier and development partner.
• Assess and communicate customer needs and project results to Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality, Technology, and business partners, tailoring the communication to the audience.
• Document results accurately and in a timely manner using e-notebook, technical reports, and invention reports, as required.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support new product commercialization, as required.

• Masters or PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, physics, or a related field required.
• At least 3 years of professional work experience in semiconductor front end process development or at least 5 years of combined academic and professional experience required.
• A track record of leading technical projects in semiconductor applications.
• Able to relocate to Kingsport,…