Separations Chemist

About us

ChemFinity Technologies is building critical mineral recovery systems to produce over 20 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 is 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, starting with precious metals like platinum. 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 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.

What you will do

ChemFinity seeks a chemist to lead projects related to the design and synthesis of advanced sorbent materials, separation performance testing, and applied R&D in processing critical minerals from wastes. In this role you will work creatively and hands-on with our team of chemists, engineers, co-founders, and external partners as we build pilots and grow from the lab to industrial scale.

• Synthesizing and testing new porous materials using various techniques (e.g., organic and/or inorganic synthesis methods).
• Iterating and improving material design and process conditions for critical mineral recovery from varied feedstock sources (e.g., electronic waste).
• Supporting rapid R&D and piloting efforts across the team on proprietary sorbent materials, solid-liquid separation, and hydrometallurgical leaching.
• Aiding scale-up efforts in sorbent synthesis, leaching, and mineral production.
• Maintaining accurate and detailed lab documentation and sample logs.
• Performing full-time hands-on work on-site at our Brooklyn facility.

What you will bring

• PhD degree in chemistry, 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, leaching, 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.

Other preferred qualifications

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

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range for this position is expected to be $90K–135K. Compensation will be commensurate with experience level. For this role, we are considering candidates from a range of experience levels and highly value fit with our team. 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

Please reach out to recruiting@chemfinitytech.com if you have questions.

ChemFinity Technologies is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace as a core value. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, nationality, color, sexual orientation, ancestry, religion, gender identity, age, marital status, disability status, or veteran status.