Research Engineer

Location – Newark, CA (San Francisco Bay Area)

MTR is a global leader, manufacturer, and supplier of customized membrane solutions for separations in the oil & gas, refining, and petrochemical industries. MTR sold its first commercial system to the petrochemical industry in 1992, and the company’s portfolio of applications has expanded quickly to more than 450 commercial membrane units worldwide since then. MTR now provides a full range of gas separation solutions for petrochemical plants, refineries, and gas processing facilities. The company’s iconic product, PolarisTM membrane system, captures CO2 from point sources, e.g. coal or natural gas fired power plants, cement plants, and steel plants. MTR is currently building the world’s largest CO2 capture plant at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center based on our own clean membrane technology.

MTR’s administrative, research, and manufacturing facilities are located in Newark, California. The company has sales offices in Houston, Texas and Brussels, Belgium and sales agents worldwide. The company also has a technical and sales support office in Shanghai, China.

MTR’s R&D team has a long track record of scientific excellence and successful commercialization of new products. The company’s product line is based on 40 years of in-house fundamental and applied research in the membrane separation area. This work has also generated over 100 patents, numerous publications in prestigious journals and presentations in conferences. The R&D team has collaborated with numerous world-renowned universities and companies to develop novel membrane products for challenging applications and has accumulated hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in R&D funding from DOE and NSF. The team also works closely with MTR’s commercial, engineering, and manufacturing groups to promote sales and explore new applications of existing products.

MTR’s R&D team employs leading specialists in membrane technology to drive our innovation efforts. Our purpose is to bring people together to address the world’s most significant energy and environmental sustainability challenges using our expertise and knowledge of membranes. We are looking to add energetic and dedicated individuals interested in joining this creative environment.

Job Description

We are seeking an R&D Engineer/Scientist to create new membrane products and to interface with manufacturing and commercial development. The successful candidate will enjoy:

Being part of a global leader developing membranes from concept to commercialization.

Seeing their ideas turn into tangible new products and product improvements.

Being part of a team of highly motivated professionals.

Applying analytical and critical thinking skills to produce creative solutions for technical challenges.

Working in a team of highly qualified engineers/technicians.

Maintaining workplace and laboratory safety in complete alignment with the company’s safety philosophy.

Responsibilities

Maintaining workplace and laboratory safety in complete alignment with the company's safety philosophy

Conducting daily laboratory tasks under the supervision of advisor to ensure that project progress is completed on time and with quality, including but not limited to making, testing, and troubleshooting membranes and modules.

Maintaining and troubleshooting R&D facilities, e.g. membrane coating or casting machines, gas chromatograph (GC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) etc.

Participating and presenting in weekly group meetings and regular project progress meetings involving multi-disciplinary teams (manufacturing, commercial, engineering, and external partners).

Collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify solutions for membrane challenges across various applications.

As needed, the Research Engineer/Scientist will travel to test facilities to support membrane system field operations. Current locations are scattered throughout the continental U.S. and estimated annual travel time is <10%.

This position includes training in the operation and maintenance of laboratory and field gas separation membrane test systems.

Requirements

A BS or MS degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or Chemistry is required.

No work experience is necessary, although prior R&D experience is beneficial.

Excellent problem solving and interpersonal skills are essential.

Ability to work on multiple projects in parallel.

Ability to work both independently and closely with other team members to achieve group goals is a must.

Ability to work with and influence people with positivity from all cultures and at all organizational levels.

Capable of lifting a 25-pound weight.

Benefits

MTR is a great place to work. Our location in the heart of Silicon Valley provides access to all the recreational and cultural amenities of the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to an energetic, team-oriented environment with flexible work hours, MTR offers a competitive benefit package that includes medical and dental coverage, life insurance coverage, short- and long-term disability insurance, 401(k) options with a company match, and tuition reimbursement.

Salary Range

Salary ranges for MTR positions are dependent on the level of education, number of years of relevant experience the candidate has, and what other MTR employees in similar positions with a similar skill set are earning. We estimate the salary range for this position to be between $91,500 and $125,500.

Join us and make a career in an exciting and fast-growing field developing, manufacturing, and deploying gas separation membranes to better utilize the world’s resources.

We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled Employer