Head of Science in Oxford

This is the lead scientific seat in a highly-qualified technical team. You own the experimental programme, the system energy ledger, and the judgement calls that determine what we build next.

IONECH is a seed-stage energy hardware start-up based at Harwell, Oxfordshire. We're developing the Air Voltaic (AV) Cell, an energy-harvesting device that uses controlled interactions between electrons and oxygen in air to capture subtle natural differences in the environment, converting available exergy into electrical power. At scale, it sits at the base of the energy stack: a platform power source that reduces grid dependence across virtually every electrical use case.

We're a team working on a scientific world-first. We're closing the remaining questions and building prototypes that will disrupt every industry that uses electricity. This role exists to lead that transition from science to engineering.

We're looking for someone confident moving at pace through ambiguity. If you need full system understanding before you commit to a first experiment, this is not the role for you. You form working hypotheses fast, test them, and call it when the data lands.

The role is hands-on: you will spend most of your time in the laboratory conducting and overseeing experimental work, not at a desk. You will report to the Managing Director and work alongside the Head of Engineering. Engineering owns system design, integration, build, and experimental infrastructure. You own the scientific programme: what gets tested, how it's validated, and when the evidence meets the defined threshold. You will directly lead and grow a science team of four PhD physicists and chemists — setting scientific direction, building capability, and maintaining the rigour that underpins every programme decision.

• System energy ledger
  • Own and maintain the formal ledger, integrating modelling outputs, experimental data, and hardware constraints.
  • Keep science and engineering accountable to the same thermodynamic reality.
  • Flag anomalies early, with clear programme implications.
• Experimental direction
  • Define the experimental requirements and decision points for each stage of the path to prototype — with explicit success and failure criteria — enabling Engineering to sequence and execute at pace.
  • Ensure every experiment maps to a specific programme decision.
  • Design experiments that isolate variables and test system-level hypotheses, not only component performance.
  • Call time on avenues that are not earning their keep.
• Team leadership
  • Lead, manage and develop the science team with clear roles, ownership, and performance expectations.
  • Identify capability gaps and drive recruitment to close them.
  • Operate within the execution-driven culture set by the Head of Engineering — bring scientific rigour and intellectual honesty without slowing the build-test-learn cycle.
  • Drive speed and decisiveness within the science team — fast hypotheses, fast tests, fast calls — operating within the execution culture the Head of Engineering sets for the programme.
• Scientific validity
  • Define what must be proven, what must be measured, and what constitutes sufficient evidence.
  • Hold the line against unsupported claims and invalid interpretations.
  • Retain sign-off on the scientific integrity of results, while deferring to engineering on hardware integration and build sequencing.
• Cross-disciplinary integration and communication
  • Translate experimental findings into actionable inputs for engineering.
  • Contribute to system-level architecture reviews with scientific assessment of proposed directions.
  • Translate scientific progress into clear, defensible narratives for the MD, investors, and external partners.
  • Contribute to IP documentation, technical reports, and publications.

What we're looking for:

• A PhD in physics, engineering, materials science, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in systems modelling and system-level energy balance.
• A track record of experimental design and hypothesis-driven hardware development.
• Strong thermodynamic literacy.
• Proven ability to lead and develop small, multidisciplinary scientific teams in a fast-moving experimental environment.
• Comfort making direction calls on incomplete data.
• Highly organised, with brevity and precision in written and verbal communication.

You’ll stand out if you have:

• Hands-on experience with electron field emission, cold cathode systems, or high-field environments.
• Experience in low-energy plasma physics or electron–gas interaction systems, with exposure to reactive oxygen species and surface/interface processes.
• Experience using AI tools to accelerate hardware development cycles, surface failure modes early, and maintain momentum without sacrificing rigour.
• Experience taking hardware through TRL gates under real-world constraints, not solely research-grade demonstrations.
• Experience scaling a science function — bringing in new hires, establishing lab practices, or building experimental infrastructure from early stage.

What we offer:

• Salary from £70,000, dependent on experience.
• Equity through our ESOP scheme, so you share in what we're building.
• Private medical healthcare for you and your family.
• Company pension.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• A well-equipped lab at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, a serious technical environment with the infrastructure to match the ambition.
• Direct line to the MD and genuine influence over the scientific direction of the company.

How to apply:

Send your CV and a covering letter (one page maximum) explaining why this problem interests you and which parts of your experience are most relevant to the essential criteria. We read every application. We don't use screening software.