Role Snapshot
The Research Scientist Senior at the University of Kentucky's Chemical & Materials Engineering department provides technical leadership for externally funded materials research and characterization projects. The role drives high-impact discovery, strengthens cross-institutional collaboration, and guides laboratory instrumentation strategy.
Key Responsibilities: Leads complex experimental work and directs other researchers across multiple concurrent projects, manages timelines and resources with internal and external partners, and supervises research staff and students. Also writes manuscripts, sponsor reports, and proposals, and helps plan instrumentation acquisition, safety, and maintenance.
Skills & Tools: Requires advanced expertise in materials characterization, especially electron microscopy and X-ray scattering, and a strong grasp of processing-structure-property relationships. Also needs project management, personnel mentoring, scientific writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
Qualifications: Candidates typically need an advanced degree in materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field, along with substantial hands-on research experience in materials characterization. Demonstrated experience leading projects, supervising personnel, and publishing or reporting research is expected.
Compensation: $140K–$200K/yr (estimated)
Job Description
Lead complex materials research, strengthen cross-institutional collaboration, and advance high-impact scientific discovery.
The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Scientist Senior to join the Chemical & Materials Engineering department.
This position provides technical leadership across a portfolio of externally funded materials research and characterization projects while executing complex experimental work and coordinating research activities with internal and external collaborators. The Research Scientist Senior also supervises research personnel, leads scientific reporting and communication, and helps guide the strategic management of laboratory instrumentation and infrastructure.
What You'll Do
- Provide technical leadership for complex materials research and characterization projects, personally conducting novel or high-priority experimental work while directing and reviewing related work performed by other group members.
- Define experimental approaches and translate broad project goals into executable technical plans across multiple concurrent projects.
- Serve as a primary technical resource for advanced materials characterization, including electron microscopy and X-ray scattering, and evaluate emerging techniques and instrumentation for research applications.
- Manage research activities, timelines, deliverables, and resource allocation across University units and external collaborating institutions.
- Represent the research group in planning discussions with external partners and shared-resource stakeholders, resolving scheduling and resource conflicts and identifying risks to project timelines.
- Supervise research support staff and student personnel, including onboarding, task assignment, performance feedback, time-record approval, and day-to-day program activities.
- Collaborate on research proposals and funding activities while independently leading scientific manuscripts, sponsor reports, and other research communications.
- Help develop and execute strategic plans for laboratory instrumentation, including equipment evaluation and acquisition, safety compliance, shared-instrument access and training, maintenance planning, and service contract management.
What You'll Bring
- Advanced expertise across multiple materials experimentation and characterization techniques, with particular strength in electron microscopy and X-ray scattering.
- Strong understanding of the relationships among materials processing, structure, properties, and performance.
- Ability to translate research objectives into technical plans and effectively direct the technical work of others.
- Project management skills and the ability to coordinate priorities, resources, timelines, and deliverables across multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Personnel management, mentoring, scheduling, and sound judgment in supervising research staff and students.
- Strong scientific writing, presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to prepare proposals, reports, and manuscripts.
- Knowledge of laboratory instrumentation management, equipment planning, procurement and budgeting processes, and chemical, laser, and radiation safety requirements.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills for balancing multiple concurrent research projects and collaborations.
Minimum Requirements
- PhD
- 2 years of related experience
What's In It for You
- Opportunity to provide technical leadership across complex, externally funded materials research and characterization projects.
- Meaningful involvement in scientific publications, sponsored research reporting, funding proposals, and collaboration with research partners.
- Opportunity to supervise and mentor research staff and students while helping shape laboratory capabilities, instrumentation, and technical practices.
- UK's Exceptional Benefits
Why Now?
A growing portfolio of concurrent research projects and external collaborations requires experienced technical leadership that can connect scientific strategy with consistent project execution. This role provides that coordination while helping ensure complex experimental work, research deliverables, personnel, and shared resources remain aligned.
By combining advanced materials characterization expertise with project leadership, supervision, scientific communication, and laboratory infrastructure planning, the Research Scientist Senior will help strengthen the group's ability to deliver high-quality research outcomes and support future externally funded work.
Internal Employee Being Considered