Graduate Materials Chemist in London

Onsite 5 days a week – Chiswick, London. We’re hiring a Graduate Materials Chemist to support the development of next-generation photopolymer materials at the core of our holographic storage platform and help bring our ambitious first product to market.

About HoloMem: At HoloMem, we’re building the next generation of mass data storage hardware; highly efficient, long life, and ultra durable. Our pioneering and patented holographic technology encodes data as light within advanced polymers, enabling a resilient and future‑fit alternative to today’s short lived and energy intensive data storage infrastructure.

Over the past 24 months, HoloMem has graduated from both the Intel Ignite and Deeptech Labs accelerators, been awarded two Innovate UK Smart Grants, closed a seed+ funding round, and most recently deployed a working HoloDrive prototype to a live data centre to prove the robustness of our system. Off the back of our breakthrough partnership with BDT, the world’s largest tape library manufacturer, we now begin the transition from prototype to product, maturing our validated system into a mass‑produced technology platform that enables state‑of‑the‑art data storage performance at scale. We have ambitious plans, and we are now scaling up our West London based team to enable them. Join us.

What You’ll Be Doing: As a Graduate Materials Chemist, you will work hands‑on in the lab to support the synthesis, formulation, testing and characterisation of photopolymer materials for holographic data storage applications. You will contribute to the development of high‑performance recording media with strong optical properties, stability and durability. This is a practical R&D role for someone who wants to build deep expertise across chemistry, photochemistry, polymer systems and applied materials development.

The Specifics About the Role: The role is for a graduate materials chemist who can demonstrate strong scientific fundamentals, good laboratory practice and the ability to learn quickly in a multidisciplinary R&D environment.

• Support the formulation and evaluation of photopolymer materials for improved recording sensitivity and efficiency.
• Synthesise, purify and characterise monomers, oligomers and polymers under appropriate supervision.
• Prepare and test thin‑film coatings for optical performance and stability.
• Work with optical engineers to evaluate holographic recording performance.
• Use analytical techniques such as UV‑Vis, FTIR, NMR, GPC, DSC, TGA and rheology, depending on prior experience and training.
• Document experimental procedures, analyse data and present findings clearly to the wider R&D team.
• Contribute to safe, repeatable and well‑controlled laboratory processes.

Who You Are: We’re looking for a curious, motivated and methodical materials chemist who wants to work at the intersection of synthesis, formulation and real‑world application. You may be early in your career, but you should bring strong chemistry fundamentals, practical lab experience and a genuine interest in developing advanced materials from first principles. You should be comfortable learning quickly, asking good questions, and working with engineers and scientists from different disciplines.

Required Experience:

• BSc or MSc in Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymer Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Hands‑on wet chemistry laboratory experience.
• Good understanding of polymer chemistry, photochemistry, organic chemistry, or materials science.
• Experience documenting experiments, analysing data and communicating technical findings.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to safe laboratory practice.
• Ability to work independently on defined tasks while taking guidance from senior technical staff.
• Exposure to free‑radical or photoinitiated polymerisation.
• Experience with monomer, oligomer or polymer synthesis.
• Experience with coatings, thin films, photopolymers, adhesives, resins, or functional materials.
• Familiarity with characterisation techniques such as UV‑Vis, FTIR, NMR, GPC, DSC, TGA, or rheology.
• Experience from a dissertation, placement, internship, research project, or industrial lab environment.
• Interest in holographic materials, optical materials, data storage, or advanced manufacturing.
• Ambitious learner who is comfortable taking responsibility.
• Methodical problem‑solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and organisational ability.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Curiosity, resilience and a practical mindset in the lab.

Benefits At HoloMem:

• 25 days annual leave.
• Employer pension contributions.
• A collaborative, knowledgeable team working on deeply technical, world‑positive problems.

HoloMem is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all.