PhD Residency - Electrochemical Engineer, Early Stage Project

Position: 2026 PhD Residency - Electrochemical Engineer, Early Stage Project
How you will make 10x impact:

* Collaborate with an early-stage project team to fundamentally rethink how advanced functional materials are manufactured. You will help us move away from toxic, energy-intensive legacy methods toward clean, tunable electrochemical processes.

* Rapidly prototype and de-risk novel synthesis techniques. You won't just study the material; you will build the custom cells and reactors required to create it.

* Apply the latest in electrochemistry and materials characterization to correlate synthesis parameters (voltage, current density, electrolyte chemistry) with critical material properties and performance.

* Develop "fail-fast" experimental loops to assess and recommend areas in which to de-risk the project. You will help determine if our approach can scale from a beaker to a continuous industrial process.

* Work cross-functionally with experts across chemistry, mechanical engineering, rapid prototyping, and physics to integrate your material into functional demos.

Engage with the resident community during the program (attending tech talks, colloquium, and learning moonshot thinking), and most importantly HAVE FUN!

This project aims to push the limits of science and modeling as we know them and to prove how ML can radically accelerate our understanding of the world

* Location:

X's headquarters in Mountain View, CA

* Start Date(s):
Rolling / preferably Spring or Summer 2026

* Duration: a flexible 4 mo. to 1 year program based on project team needs and your availability

Throughout your AI Residency you can expect:

* To be embedded into one of our confidential or public X projects

* To get paid competitively and receive benefits

* To be a part of a lively community of AI and ML Residents

* To attend tech-talks with AI leaders from across X

What you should have:

* Active PhD program in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a related field.

* Deep working experience with electrochemistry:
You should be very experienced with potentiostats or power supplies and have a deep understanding of electrochemical methodologies such as CV, EIS, LSV, etc.

* Hands-on experience with electrometallurgy: A strong background in driving chemical transformations via electrolysis, electrowinning, or electroplating.

* Strong characterization skills:
Ability to independently analyze materials using standard techniques (e.g., XRF, XRD, SEM, AFM, EDS or similar) to validate your synthesis results.

* Good at problem stating and problem solving:
You can take an ambiguous goal and turn it into a concrete experimental plan .

* Can-do attitude:
Willing to learn new tools (e.g., laser cutting, 3D printing) to build your own test rigs rather than waiting for someone else to do it.

* Excellent communication skills:
Experience writing strategy docs, delivering presentations, and a general openness to liaise with senior external partners.

* Motivated by making the world a better place through technology, and wanting to be part of a team that makes this happen.

It'd be great if you also had these:

* Experience scaling up reactions and moving from static batch cells to flow cells or continuous processing.

* Experience using Python (pandas, scipy) to automate the analysis of large experimental datasets.

Additional public information:

The US base salary range for this position is $109,000 - $129,000 + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include benefits.