Scientist / Senior Scientist – Polymer Formulation & Product Development

About PlantSea

PlantSea is an award-winning, venture-backed biotechnology company developing high-performance polymer technologies from seaweed to replace fossil-derived plastics. Our platform is being developed for applications including water soluble films, flexible packaging, recyclable paper laminates and other sustainable materials. Having established our core extraction technology, our focus is now on developing products that consistently meet demanding customer performance requirements and can be successfully manufactured at commercial scale. This is an exciting opportunity to join PlantSea at a pivotal stage of growth and make an immediate impact on the development of our next generation of sustainable materials.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Scientist or Senior Scientist with expertise in polymer formulation and product development who can make an immediate impact. This role is focused on translating scientific understanding into commercially relevant products by developing and optimising bio based polymer systems that meet defined technical and customer performance objectives. Working closely with the CTO and wider R&D team, you will design experimental programmes, solve formulation challenges and deliver robust technical recommendations that accelerate product development. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys applying science to solve real world product development challenges within a collaborative, high growth technology company.

Key Responsibilities

• Polymer Formulation & Product Development
  • Develop and optimise bio based polymer formulations that deliver robust product performance and support commercial manufacturing.
  • Investigate the relationship between formulation, processing and end use performance to develop products that meet customer and manufacturing requirements.
  • Recommend formulation improvements supported by robust scientific evidence.
• Product Development
  • Contribute technical expertise to the development of scalable formulation and coating processes suitable for commercial manufacture.
  • Support laboratory, pilot and manufacturing activities by investigating how formulation influences processing behaviour and final product performance.
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues and external partners to investigate technical challenges and recommend practical solutions.
• Experimental Design & Scientific Investigation
  • Design and execute experimental programmes aligned with agreed project objectives and technical priorities.
  • Apply Design of Experiments (DoE) and sound scientific methodology where appropriate.
  • Analyse experimental data and translate findings into clear technical recommendations.
  • Develop robust experimental methods and maintain high standards of scientific rigour, reproducibility and documentation.
• Technical Project Delivery
  • Lead the scientific delivery of assigned technical work packages across funded and commercial R&D programmes.
  • Plan and manage technical activities against agreed objectives, milestones and timelines.
  • Identify technical risks, opportunities and proposed mitigation strategies.
  • Contribute to technical reports, customer development projects and collaborative research activities.
• Innovation & Intellectual Property
  • Identify opportunities to improve formulations, product performance and manufacturing robustness.
  • Generate high quality technical evidence that supports innovation, intellectual property and future product development.
  • Contribute to technical documentation supporting patents, funded projects and commercial activities.

What We're Looking For

• PhD, or MSc with significant industrial experience, in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Industrial experience developing bio based polymer formulations, functional coatings, film forming systems or other sustainable material technologies.
• Demonstrated experience optimising products against defined technical or customer performance requirements.
• Experience designing and delivering structured experimental programmes.
• Experience planning and managing technical projects or work packages against agreed objectives, milestones and timelines.
• Strong understanding of polymer structure property relationships.
• Excellent analytical, communication and problem solving skills.
• Experience in one or more of the following:
  • Water soluble films
  • Barrier or functional coatings
  • Polysaccharides or naturally derived polymers
  • Polymer rheology
  • Scale up support

Personal Attributes

We're looking for someone who:

• Can make an immediate technical impact.
• Is scientifically rigorous and evidence led.
• Enjoys solving complex product development challenges.
• Is commercially aware and outcome focused.
• Works collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Is adaptable and comfortable working in a fast moving environment.
• Takes ownership of their work and follows through on delivery.
• Is motivated by developing sustainable technologies with real world impact.

How to Apply

If you're excited by the opportunity to help develop the next generation of sustainable polymer technologies, we'd love to hear from you. In your covering letter, please tell us:

• Why this opportunity interests you and why you believe you're a strong fit for PlantSea.
• Describe one polymer formulation, coating or product development project that you are particularly proud of. What challenge were you trying to solve, what was your approach, and what was the outcome?
• What experience do you have developing products or formulations to meet defined customer or commercial performance requirements?
• What unique skills, experience or perspective would you bring to PlantSea?