Chemist

About us

ChemFinity Technologies is building critical mineral recovery systems to produce over 30 minerals from waste and mining feedstocks at low cost, using our proprietary, high-performance, high-durability sorbent filters. Up to a 6x increase in critical mineral demand may be expected by 2040, to meet the supplies needed for clean energy, defense, manufacturing, and other technology sectors. However, 80% of U.S. critical minerals already come from foreign sources, and 7% of greenhouse gas emissions come from mining. Our team’s mission is to produce these minerals in ways that are cheaper, cleaner, and more accessible than existing methods such as high-temperature smelting. Spun out of UC Berkeley in late 2022 and based in New York City, ChemFinity is backed by top-tier investor firms and over 10 top government and grant agencies, such as Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the U.S. Department of Energy, ARPA-E, and the U.S. EPA. ChemFinity has been recognized as top innovators in the critical minerals sector by the World Economic Forum, Forbes, and Conservation X Labs.

Responsibilities

• Synthesize and test new porous materials using various techniques (e.g., organic and/or inorganic synthesis methods).
• Iterate and improve material design and process conditions for critical mineral recovery from varied feedstock sources (e.g., electronic waste).
• Support rapid applied R&D and piloting efforts across the team on proprietary sorbent materials, solid-liquid separation, and mineral leaching.
• Assist scale-up efforts in sorbent synthesis and mineral production.
• Maintain accurate and detailed lab documentation and sample logs.
• Perform full-time hands-on work on-site at our Brooklyn facility.

Requirements

• PhD degree in chemistry, materials science, mineral processing, or a related field, or a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with at least 4+ years of directly relevant industrial chemistry or mineral processing experience.
• Strong fundamental understanding of organometallic and/or inorganic chemistry, as relevant to metal bonding.
• Hands-on experience in chemical synthesis, sorbent development, metal recovery processes, and/or industrial manufacturing.
• Desire to own projects, communicate effectively, and proactively use critical thinking and team collaboration to solve difficult but impactful challenges in a dynamic startup environment.
• Unwavering commitment to high safety standards and supportive work behavior.

Qualifications

• Experience in startups and/or scaling technologies from the lab to full-scale commercialization.
• Experience in precious or critical mineral processing, liquid-phase separations, sorbent technologies, water pollutant removal, and/or resource recovery.
• Proven leadership in chemical safety, SOP development, and/or laboratory management.
• Experience in writing grant applications and detailed technical reports.
• Experience in project management.

Pay

Salary range for this position is expected to be $80K–135K.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation including equity options
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits
• 401(k) benefits with company matching
• Flexible paid time off and holidays
• Health/fitness stipend
• Open, supportive, and diverse team focused on creating major impact