Lead Scientist, Materials Science

About the Role

We are seeking a curious and motivated early-career Research Scientist – Materials Science to help accelerate the discovery, development, and deployment of advanced metallic materials. You will work on high-performance structural alloys for aircraft engines and their derivatives, produced through both conventional and additive manufacturing routes, and contribute across the innovation cycle, from fundamental understanding to application. Working alongside experienced scientists and engineers, you will apply strong fundamentals in physical metallurgy, thermodynamics, and characterization, combined with physics-based and data-driven methods, to solve real engineering problems. This role is well suited to a recent PhD graduate who wants to see their research make a tangible impact on aerospace products.

The John F. Welch Technology Center (JFWTC) in Bengaluru is our multidisciplinary research and engineering center.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and conduct experiments, including alloy and process design, heat treatment, microstructural characterization, and mechanical testing; analyze and interpret results with scientific rigor.
• Establish quantitative, actionable chemistry–processing–structure–property relationships using a combination of experiments, physics-based modeling (e.g., CALPHAD, kinetics, microstructure modeling), and data-driven approaches.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and business teams to understand critical materials and processing challenges, and help translate them into well-defined research plans.
• Stay current with scientific literature and global technology trends in materials and manufacturing, and bring new ideas and approaches to the team.
• Communicate findings clearly through technical reports, presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and invention disclosures/patents.
• Follow laboratory safety, quality, and intellectual property practices.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• PhD in Metallurgy, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field (completed, or thesis submitted, by the joining date).
• Doctoral and/or postdoctoral research focused on structure–property relationships in metallic materials.
• Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, physical metallurgy, phase transformations, mechanical behavior, and materials processing.
• Hands-on experience with advanced characterization techniques such as SEM, EBSD, TEM, and/or XRD.
• Experience with thermodynamic or kinetic modeling (e.g., Thermo-Calc, DICTRA, PANDAT, or similar).
• Record of peer-reviewed publications and/or patents appropriate to career stage.
• Demonstrated innovative thinking, rigorous research methodology, and a willingness to challenge established assumptions and push the boundaries of understanding.
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and across multiple projects.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience with nickel-, titanium-, aluminum-based alloys, particularly for high-temperature or structural applications.
• Exposure to manufacturing practices such as casting, forging, thermomechanical processing, or heat treatment.
• Experience with mechanical testing (e.g., tensile, creep, fatigue, fracture) and failure analysis.
• Familiarity with computational and data-driven methods, such as Python or MATLAB, and machine learning techniques.
• Postdoctoral, industrial, or industry-sponsored research experience.

What You Will Gain

• The opportunity to work on materials technologies for next-generation aircraft engines.
• Mentorship from experienced materials scientists and engineers, and exposure to the full materials development lifecycle, from laboratory research to product.
• Collaboration with global research, engineering, and manufacturing teams.
• Support for continued technical growth, including publishing and patenting your work.

Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes