Lab Chemist

About Manastu

Manastu Space is a Space Safety and Logistics company focused on making space safe, sustainable, and accessible. We develop technologies to address critical challenges such as space debris mitigation and green propulsion, enabling safer satellite operations and long-term sustainability of the space ecosystem. Our work sits at the intersection of advanced engineering, applied research, and mission-critical systems, requiring deep technical capability and long-term thinking.

Role Objective

The Propellant R&D Lab Chemist will own routine bench preparation within the Energetic Material Department, enabling the R&D team to increase experimental throughput. This role is responsible end-to-end for glassware preparation (cleaning, acid passivation, and high-temperature annealing), sample preparation, routine analytical measurements, and the accurate completion of experiment records on the day the work is done.

Role Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented and safety-conscious laboratory Chemist with a BSc in Chemistry and hands-on experience handling corrosive and oxidising chemicals. The role sits within the Energetic Material Department and works directly alongside the R&D scientist and engineer to execute the MS-289C stability and characterisation programme. The central technical challenge is rigorous chemical cleanliness, as the H₂O₂-based green monopropellant is highly sensitive to trace metal contamination. Every vessel that contacts the propellant must be cleaned, acid-passivated, and annealed to a documented standard.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform glassware cleaning, acid passivation with 20% HNO₃, and furnace annealing at 580°C to prepare vessels for propellant experiments in accordance with the team SOP.
• Prepare H₂O₂ working solutions, HNO₃ dilutions, stabiliser-spiked samples, and buffer stocks.
• Operate and calibrate pH meters, refractive index meters, and conductivity meters; record all readings, calibration data, and instrument IDs.
• Set up stability test ovens at specified temperatures; monitor and record temperature and humidity.
• Perform full measurement suite: visual inspection, photographs, mass, RI, pH, conductivity.
• Transfer all offline data to the stability-test Excel tracking sheet on the day of measurement; attach photographs and sign off the completed record.
• Maintain the glassware and breakage register, logging every item used, cleaned, or damaged on the day it occurs.
• Support consumable and reagent stock checks; flag items approaching reorder level.
• Maintain the laboratory workspace in a clean, chemically segregated, and orderly condition at all times, and dispose of chemical waste in accordance with the department hazardous-waste procedure.
• Rotar evaporation tool handling exposure.
• Night shift as per business requirement.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• BSc in Chemistry or a closely related science discipline.
• Practical laboratory experience including solution preparation, gravimetric measurement, and instrument operation (minimum 6 months, including final-year project laboratory work).
• Demonstrated experience handling corrosive or oxidising chemicals, with knowledge of appropriate PPE selection and emergency response procedures.
• Familiarity with pH measurement, refractive index, and conductivity measurement, including basic two-point instrument calibration.
• Ability to maintain accurate, complete, and legible paper and electronic records, including correct error-correction practice (single line-through, not correction fluid).

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A precise, safety-first bench chemist who follows SOPs exactly.
• Works reliably on repetitive preparation tasks without supervision once trained, and completes records on the same day the work is done.
• Brings genuine curiosity about why each step in a protocol matters, and asks questions when something looks unexpected.

What We Offer

• Comprehensive health insurance
• High ownership and visibility, with direct access to leadership
• Support for learning, conferences, and research exposure
• Subsidised lunch plan