Senior Scientist, Battery Development

Role: Senior Scientist, Battery Development

Reports to: Sr. Director of Research & Development

The Company: Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stratus Materials is an early-stage, technology-based company focused on the development and manufacture of advanced activematerials for the lithium-ion battery industry. Our primary focus is on advanced electric vehiclebatteries, but our materials will also be applicable and very attractive for many other end-userapplications using lithium-ion batteries. In late 2025, the company secured a substantial SeriesB round of financing and is using those funds to execute on its business plans. If you areinterested in a dynamic, high-growth opportunity where you can dig in and make a difference, we look forward to meeting you.

Summary of Position: The Senior Scientist will lead technical efforts to refine lithium-ionbattery cells containing Stratus LXMO cathode active materials, including the diagnosis andresolution of cell failure modes. The role's central objective is to iteratively improve theperformance of multi-Ah cells through failure and degradation mode analysis and participation incell design and test cycles. This role will connect performance limitations and failure modes in LXMO-based cells to theirroot causes in active material choice, cell/interface design, electrolyte chemistry, formation, and/or operating protocols. The Senior Scientist will own investigative efforts end to end: fromidentification of behavior and mechanism through the development and handoff of improvedR&D or product-intent designs for further testing and validation. Additional work will includenovel development of active-material interfaces and/or electrolyte designs. The ideal candidate has deep practical experience designing, building, sourcing, testing, anddiagnosing lithium-ion cells; understanding industry-leading cell components and vendors; extracting insight from electrochemical and post-mortem data; and translating those findings intoiterations on LXMO-based cell designs, their key components, and their formation and operatingprotocols. This person will lead a small technical team, work closely with internal material andcell development groups, and represent Stratus in technical discussions with external testpartners and customers. Success requires deep Li-ion battery experience, a high awareness of the current industry andsupply chain, comfort with disciplined experimentation in ambiguous settings, and thepersistence and judgment to drive complex upside opportunities and failure/degradation modesto closure.

Responsibilities: ? Own observation, investigation, and mitigation of multi-Ah cell performancefailures or upside opportunities, focused on either product-intent cells built tocustomer-specific requirements for performance or operation, or R&D cells featuringnovel varieties of materials in cells.? Develop and test hypotheses to accelerate closure of observed issues? Translate failure-analysis results into recommendations for CAM / interface / celldesign, customer / internal operating protocols, or other levers for mitigation.? Drive cell-level innovation on performance by identifying upside opportunitiesassociated with improved cell designs, active materials, components, operatingprotocols, or suppliers.? Lead a small team of scientists and technicians assembling, filling, testing, andevaluating lithium-ion cells across coin, pouch, and multi-Ah product-intent formats.? Develop reusable workflows for diagnostics, investigation, and reporting that improvethe speed and quality of future investigations of failures and opportunities.? Coordinate internal and external testing, analyze results, and communicate technicalconclusions to customers, partners, and company leadership.? Support laboratory safety, equipment qualification, method development, and generaltechnical troubleshooting.

Requirements: Education, Experience, and Skills:? Bachelor's or advanced degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, or a related discipline.? 4+ years of relevant and current industrial experience designing and developing lithium-ion cells, electrodes, electrolytes, or active materials. Strong knowledge of what is "stateof the art" in the industry.? Demonstrated experience leading complex cell-failure investigations from observationthrough verified corrective action.? Strong fundamentals in lithium-ion electrochemistry, cell design, cathode and anodedegradation, interfacial chemistry, and transport limitations.? Hands-on experience with cell assembly, electrolyte handling and filling, electrochemicaltesting, teardown, and post-mortem characterization.? Ability to interpret electrochemical data? Experience designing controlled experiments and using statistical or data-drivenmethods to distinguish among competing mechanisms.? Demonstrated ability to direct technicians or junior scientists in a hands-on laboratoryenvironment. Ability to function as a "player/coach".? Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complextechnical conclusions to senior stakeholders and customers.? Ability to manage competing priorities and make sound technical decisions withincomplete information. Additional Preferences:? Working knowledge of cathode-material synthesis, structure, morphology, surfacechemistry, and their relationship to full-cell behavior.? Experience with high-voltage, high-energy cathodes or direct experience with lithium-rich, manganese-rich or other advanced cathode materials.? Experience with electrolyte development and deep understanding of impacts on celldesign and performance.? Experience developing or validating large-format cells, particularly pouch cells in theapproximately 5–30 Ah range.? Experience connecting failure-analysis findings directly to active-material or cell-designchanges.? Experience working with automotive customers, cell manufacturers, suppliers, orindependent testing laboratories.? Hands-on leadership experience in an early-stage battery company, pilot line, or rapidlyevolving R&D environment.