Biopolymer Scientist / Materials Engineer

Job Description

As a Biopolymer Scientist / Materials Engineer at Sealeo, you will take a central role in the development of a cutting-edge biomaterial system at the heart of the company’s technology. This is a hands-on, applied materials role with real ownership and responsibility.

You will work directly with the founders on polysaccharide-based and soft-matter systems, generating new experimental data, structuring and interpreting existing results, and guiding technical decisions that shape Sealeo’s development trajectory. Your work will directly influence how a novel biomaterial progresses from early-stage development toward industrial readiness.


This role suits someone who thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and enjoys tackling complex materials challenges that do not yet have established playbooks. You will balance rapid experimentation with deeper materials understanding, making informed judgement calls that matter.

You will collaborate with leading academic and industrial partners, engaging with advanced testing, validation, and scale-up capabilities beyond a single lab. This offers rare exposure to the full journey of novel biomaterials, from bench-scale science to real-world application.


The role is part-time (2-3 days per week) with high flexibility in working hours and an outcome-driven approach. As Sealeo grows, there is clear potential to transition into a full-time position within 12 months, with scope for expanded responsibility and long-term technical leadership for the right person.

Responsibilities

Material Development & Evaluation:

• Take a central scientific role in the development of novel biopolymer-based material systems, working with polysaccharides and soft-matter materials.
• Contribute to Sealeo’s work within a large funded consortium, supporting and coordinating material validation, characterisation, and scale-up activities across partners.
• Identify, evaluate, and select suitable biopolymer inputs and functional material components based on performance, manufacturability, and scale-up considerations.
• Design and execute bench-scale experiments to develop, optimise, and characterise biomaterials.
• Correlate material chemistry and structure with macroscopic properties relevant to real-world performance.
• Develop prototype samples and assess material stability, compatibility, and behaviour under relevant operating and cycling conditions, including industrial and regulatory considerations.


Experimental Strategy & Decision-Making

• Structure, consolidate, and critically analyse existing experimental data to support clear technical decisions.
• Design and generate new experimental data to resolve open technical questions and reduce development risk.
• Develop and validate analytical test methods to ensure consistency and reproducibility in formulation performance.
• Translate experimental findings into concise recommendations that guide material selection, formulation direction, and development priorities.


Translation & Scale-Up

• Communicate material insights and formulation changes internally and externally, enabling effective collaboration with research organisations, scale-up partners, and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Ensure experimental work remains aligned with manufacturing constraints, cost considerations, and downstream deployment requirements.
• Contribute to the development of intellectual property, including patents and trade secrets.

Qualifications

Must-have:

• PhD (ongoing or completed) in Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent hands-on industry experience.
• Demonstrated hands-on laboratory experience working with polysaccharides (e.g. alginate, cellulose, chitosan, starch) in material or formulation contexts.
• Proven experience developing and testing physical material systems, such as foams, hydrogels, porous materials, or biopolymer-based composites.
• Strong experimental skills, including designing experiments, generating reproducible data, and analysing results.
• Experience working in exploratory R&D environments, with comfort navigating ambiguity and incomplete data.
• Ability to translate experimental findings into clear technical conclusions and recommendations that support decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and partner-facing discussions.

Nice-to-have:

• Familiarity with thermal properties, heat transfer, and insulation-related material performance.
• Exposure to thermal cycling, stability testing, or durability studies under repeated operating conditions.
• Experience interfacing with scale-up, pilot manufacturing, or process engineering teams.