Carbon Materials Research Scientist

Leidos is seeking an exceptional and motivated recent graduate (<5 years), preferably post-doctoral, Carbon Materials Research Scientist interested in pursuing their passion and expanding their expertise by working side-by-side with world experts through a research appointment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). In this role, you will work as part of DOE’s leading engineering R&D laboratory team supporting NETL to address carbon supply chain and energy technology challenges through novel carbon materials synthesis and characterization. Specifically, you will work with NETL’s carbon materials manufacturing team to execute and scale up methods for synthesizing graphite, graphene, porous and nano-porous, and composite carbon materials for energy technologies. In this role, you will engage with world-class carbon materials synthesis researchers, including leading DOE scientists and external partners to develop world-changing energy solutions.

Location: Onsite daily at the NETL campus in Pittsburgh, PA

What this opportunity with Leidos supporting NETL uniquely provides you

• Working on applied, cutting-edge projects with global impact while being mentored by the nation’s leading energy scientists and engineers.
• Real-world experience supplemented with technical development and discussions that provide unique insight into the broad range of mission critical engineering and scientific disciplines NETL leverages to support national energy research and policy development.
• Unique access to world-class, customized facilities specific to high impact energy research, technology generation, and patent development.
• Participation in novel fundamental and applied energy technology development with direct economic impact on global carbon resources.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Synthesize graphite, graphene, porous carbons, activated carbons, and composite carbon materials with polymers, metals, and metal oxides.
• Characterize the structural, optical, and electronic properties of different carbonaceous materials and composites using techniques including electron microscopy, FTIR, Raman, TGA, surface area analyzer, UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and XRD.
• Characterize electrochemical properties of new electrode materials for batteries and supercapacitors using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and other analyses as appropriate.
• Scale up established methods and develop novel methods to synthesize new materials from various domestic carbon feedstocks such as coal, biomass, and petroleum coke.
• Participate and present results in regular team meetings, contribute to progress reports and research proposals, and prepare scientific manuscripts for publication in peer reviewed journals.

Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in relevant discipline (Chemistry, Material Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline) with 3+ years related experience
• Hands-on experience and expertise in synthesis and functionalization of carbon materials such as nanomaterials, porous carbons, and graphite as demonstrated through publication record
• Experience with common carbon materials characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, XPS, Raman, FTIR, UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and XRD
• Demonstrated ability to publish high impact research
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team to solve scientific and technological problems
• Ability to meet the requirements for gaining access to work on the NETL campus

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Material Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• Specific knowledge of carbon feedstocks such as coal, biomass, and petroleum coke
• Knowledge of reactor design and process engineering
• Direct experience with scaling up materials synthesis processes
• Experience with or knowledge of multiple carbon materials applications such as energy storage devices, composite materials, and thermal and structural materials

Salary Range for this position: $90K to $95K

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

November 12, 2025

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $67,600.00 - $122,200.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.