Fuel Cell Electrochemist - Nanostructured Electrode Research
Job Description
About Amphiform:
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Amphiform (amphiform.com) is building next-gen energy materials for AI data centres, defence and space: light, abundant and powerful. We achieve that by creating a new type of matter: hybrid materials, built atomic layer by atomic layer, where every atom has a pre-programmed purpose.
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We just closed a $5.5+1m pre-seed led by General Catalyst and Main Object, with Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Charlie Songhurst, and others.
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The role:
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We are developing a new class of electrode material for fuel cells: ultrathin, vapour-deposited hybrid materials with custom properties. This does not measure like a conventional catalyst layer. Your first job is to build our electrochemistry lab and the methods to test these early samples properly: what to measure, how to measure it on materials that are very thin, very small and easily damaged. Within a few months the role grows into leading our electrochemistry research: hydrogen PEM first, then direct methanol and anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells. You will be our first dedicated electrochemistry hire, working directly with the deposition team, on-site in Berkeley, CA.
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What you'll do:
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- Build the electrochemistry lab.
- Develop measurement methods for ultrathin, fragile samples: fixturing, contacting, environmental control.
- Characterise our materials electrochemically: conductivity, catalyst activity and utilisation, kinetics and impedance.
- Run the first working cells: performance, durability and accelerated stress testing, and post-mortem analysis with our characterisation partners
- Feed findings back to the deposition team.
- Hydrogen PEM, then direct methanol and AEM fuel cells.
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What we're looking for:
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- PhD in electrochemistry, chemical engineering or materials science (or equivalent depth), plus 5+ years developing electrochemical devices in industry: fuel cells, electrolysers or batteries at a company that ships product at scale
- Hands-on fuel cell development: you have made MEAs, run single-cell test stations etc.
- Impedance fluency: you can propose an equivalent circuit for an unfamiliar cell, assign each element to a physical process, and say where the assignment is ambiguous
- Experience measuring electrochemistry on thin, small or fragile samples, and the contacting and artefact problems that come with them
- You have set up a lab or a test capability from scratch: chose the equipment, built the fixtures, wrote the procedures
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Nice to have:
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- Time inside a large-scale cell or stack programme (automotive OEM, battery or fuel cell manufacturer)
- Direct methanol or AEM fuel cell experience
- Thin-film characterisation background
- Familiarity with vapour deposition or cleanroom-based sample handling
- Python for data analysis and test automation
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