R&D Scientist

Job Title: R&D Engineer

Location: Somerville, MA

Job Type: Full-Time/Permanent

About the Company:

Earth faces an alarming freshwater scarcity, impacting developed and developing nations alike. NONA Technologies is a pre-seed stage MIT spinout pioneering a transformative approach to desalination, employing a patented electrochemical method for salt and pathogen removal from water. This breakthrough solution empowers communities globally with sustainable clean water access, enables off-grid mobile water supply, and expands industrial water reuse through cost-effective and low-maintenance brackish water desalination.

Our founding team includes an MIT research scientist who co-developed NONA’s novel technology, and management experience from Rivian Automotive’s product development team.

Job Description:

NONA Technologies has several prototypes which function well in real-world environments, and now needs to move from the prototype to manufacturing stage. We are seeking an engineer who is experienced at taking similar hardware products from prototype to manufacturing.

We’re seeking an R&D Engineer to test a compact scale desalination unit based on ICP (Ion Concentration Polarization) process, which was invented at MIT, for brackish water, produced water, wastewater treatment, and seawater. This position will be heavily focused on the detailed lab experiment, technical design (associated with spacer design, pumping systems, piping, valves), the development of the control system (for pressure sensing, flow rate monitor, and high-power DC supply), and field testing. The travel will be required for field testing (10%).

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

· Lead ICP based compact desalination module development.

· Support senior engineer to develop compact scale desalination product

· Participation in planning, design, and execution of the development plans and integration of them to the compact-scale ICP module for seawater desalination.

· Monitor and analyze process performance data and provide recommendations for process enhancements to optimize efficiency.

· Contributing to the conceptualization, creation, and development of the compact-scale ICP system accordingly; with the aims of boosting productivity, reducing operational costs, and enhancing product quality.

· Conduct on-site testing and evaluation of the compact-scale ICP system, including but not limited to collecting data and assessing its performance.

· Draft and establish Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P+IDs) for the ICP process.

· Develop and maintain effective process control strategies to ensure process stability and quality.

· Work collaboratively with pilot-scale ICP system team to troubleshoot technical issues and implement necessary process adjustments.

· Create and deliver comprehensive training programs for production personnel to facilitate their understanding and proficiency in the ICP process.

· The desire to be in a dynamic startup environment with a focus on critical thinking to find impactful solutions to difficult challenges.

Requirements:

· Master's, or Ph.D in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field with an experimental focus or strong understanding in fluid mechanics.

· Hands-on experience in engineering laboratory (flow meter, fluid related parts, pressure meter, conductivity sensor, pH sensor, ICP-OES, ICP-MS)

· Skill in Microsoft Office Suite.

· Experience with piping system, process simulation software and data analysis tools.

· Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

· Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Preferred Skills

- Experience with water treatment technologies, such as filtration, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, etc.

- Hands-on experience in laser cutting, machine shop,

- Experience with LabView

- Prior experience with electrochemical water desalination processes, such as electrodialysis, capacitive deionization, etc.

- Proficiency in CAD (i.e., Solidworks, Autocad) Experience in coding (i.e.,Phyton, Matlab)

- Experience programming Labview

- Experience in CFD

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

NONA Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Contact

Junghyo Yoon, junghyo@nona-technologies.com

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Schedule:

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Monday to Friday

Ability to Commute:

Ability to Relocate:

Work Location: In person