R&D Scientist - (Food Packaging, Coatings & Advanced Materials)

R&D Scientist - Sustainable Coatings & Packaging Technologies

Job Openings R&D Scientist - Sustainable Coatings & Packaging Technologies

About the job R&D Scientist - Sustainable Coatings & Packaging Technologies

R&D Scientist – Sustainable Coatings & Packaging Technologies

Location: Lambeth, South West London (laboratory-based/in-person role)

Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 9:00am-6:00pm (42.5 hours per week)

Salary: £33,000–£36,000 gross per year depending on experience, with strong progression opportunities based on performance and contribution.

About Metalchemy

Metalchemy is an award-winning UK deep-tech company developing and commercialising patented sustainable coating and advanced materials technologies for food packaging and other high-impact applications.

Our mission is to create measurable environmental impact through the successful commercialisation of science. We develop antimicrobial and functional materials that help reduce food waste, improve product performance, and enable more sustainable packaging and supply chains.

As a high-growth, commercially driven business, we operate at the intersection of materials science, product innovation, manufacturing, and customer deployment. Our technologies are protected by intellectual property, supported through grant-funded innovation programmes, and developed in collaboration with customers, manufacturers, universities, and industry partners.

We are building a modern R&D environment that combines scientific expertise with Design of Experiments (DoE), AI-enabled workflows, and data-driven decision-making to accelerate innovation, improve efficiency, and scale impact.

At Metalchemy, we believe the greatest environmental impact comes not from research alone, but from successfully translating scientific innovation into products that create real value for customers and society.

This role is designed for ambitious early-career scientists who want to grow rapidly within a high-growth technology company. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to take increasing ownership of technology platforms, customer projects, publications, patents, and funded innovation programmes, with progression based on performance, contribution, and business growth.

The Role

We are seeking an ambitious and commercially minded PhD-level scientist with expertise in coatings, polymers, formulations, biomaterials, packaging materials, or related technologies to help develop the next generation of sustainable coating systems and functional materials.

The primary focus of the role will be the development of technologies for food packaging and food-contact applications, with opportunities to contribute to healthcare and other industrial sectors as Metalchemy's technology platform expands.

You will work across a broad range of materials and substrates including paper, fibre-based packaging, cellulose materials, biopolymers, compostable materials, synthetic polymers, composites, and coated materials. Working closely with senior scientists, customers, manufacturers, academic collaborators, and industry partners, you will play a key role in delivering customer projects, grant-funded innovation programmes, publications, patents, and commercially deployable technologies.

This is a high-impact role offering significant responsibility, rapid professional development, and clear progression opportunities. Within your first year, you will be expected to contribute independently to research programmes, support multiple concurrent client and innovation projects, and become a trusted technical contributor across scientific, customer-facing, and collaborative activities.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to progressively take ownership of technology platforms, strategic customer projects, grant-funded programmes, and external partnerships while helping shape the future direction of Metalchemy's innovation pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver R&D programmes focused on sustainable coatings, food & packaging technologies, antimicrobial materials, and advanced material systems, generating high-quality scientific outputs that support customer projects, grant-funded innovation programmes, publications, intellectual property, and commercial deployment.
• Develop, optimise, and validate coatings, bio-coatings, formulations, composites, colloidal systems, and functional materials across a range of substrates including paper, fibre-based packaging, biopolymers, compostable materials, and synthetic polymers, ensuring scientific rigour and technical excellence throughout the development process.
• Manage and contribute to multiple concurrent customer, grant-funded, and internal innovation projects, delivering technical milestones, project objectives, reports, and experimental outputs to a high standard and within agreed timelines.
• Support customer projects through technical leadership, product validation, application development, trial design, data interpretation, and the preparation of technical deliverables that enable successful project outcomes and long-term customer relationships.
• Contribute to the preparation, delivery, and reporting of grant-funded programmes, collaborative R&D projects, and innovation funding applications, helping secure and successfully execute externally funded innovation activities.
• Prepare and deliver technical reports, customer presentations, scientific publications, conference papers, white papers, case studies, and dissemination materials, effectively communicating technical outcomes to scientific, industrial, and commercial audiences.
• Build strong relationships with customers, academic collaborators, manufacturers, research organisations, and industry partners while contributing to technology commercialisation, strategic partnerships, intellectual property generation, and the continued growth of Metalchemy.

Requirements

• PhD in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Food Packaging, Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biomaterials, Coatings Science, or a related discipline
• Strong experimental research experience gained through doctoral studies
• Experience in at least one of the following areas:
• Coatings and formulations
• Polymer science and engineering
• Packaging materials
• Functional surfaces
• Biomaterials
• Active or antimicrobial packaging
• Colloidal systems and dispersions
• Excellent scientific writing, reporting, and presentation skills
• Strong data analysis and problem‑solving abilities
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Interest in translating scientific innovation into commercially successful products

Highly Desirable

• Research focused on active packaging, food‑contact materials, barrier coatings, antimicrobial technologies, bio‑coatings, cellulose-based materials, or sustainable packaging
• Experience developing coatings, formulations, composites, functional materials, or advanced material systems
• Experience with silver-based materials, antimicrobial additives, nanomaterials, colloids, dispersions, or surface-engineered materials
• Experience working with paper-based packaging, fibre-based materials, biopolymers, compostable materials, synthetic polymers, or composite substrates
• Knowledge of food-contact regulations, packaging compliance, and food safety requirements
• Experience with industrial collaborations, grant-funded research, publications, patents, or technology commercialisation
• Experience using Design of Experiments (DoE), statistical analysis, machine learning tools, or AI-enabled R&D workflows

What Success Looks Like

Within your 6‑months, you will:

• Contribute to the successful delivery of 3–5 concurrent innovation projects across coatings, packaging, and advanced materials
• Develop increasing ownership of specific research programmes, technology platforms, or customer projects
• Deliver high-quality technical reports, presentations, publications, and experimental outputs that support decision-making and product development
• Generate robust scientific data that contributes to customer validation, commercial deployment, intellectual property generation, and business growth
• Contribute to grant applications, funded innovation programmes, patents, scientific publications, and customer-facing case studies
• Present technical findings confidently to customers, industry partners, funding bodies, collaborators, and internal stakeholders
• Build strong relationships with customers, academic collaborators, manufacturers, and industry partners
• Become a trusted technical contributor across both scientific and commercial activities
• Demonstrate the ability to translate research into practical, commercially relevant solutions that create measurable impact

Why Join Metalchemy?

• Join an award-winning deep-tech company developing patented technologies with measurable environmental and commercial impact
• Work directly with founders, senior scientists, customers, manufacturers, universities, and strategic partners
• Gain exposure to the full innovation lifecycle, from laboratory research and product development through to customer deployment and commercial scale-up
• Contribute to patents, publications, grant-funded programmes, customer projects, and new product launches
• Work across diverse technologies, materials, and applications including food packaging, coatings, biomaterials, healthcare, and sustainability-focused innovation
• Develop expertise in modern R&D approaches including Design of Experiments (DoE), AI-enabled workflows, data-driven experimentation, and technology commercialisation
• Take on significant responsibility and ownership from an early stage in your career
• Benefit from strong opportunities for progression into senior technical, innovation, and project leadership roles based on performance and contribution
• Be part of a high-growth, commercially driven company where scientific innovation is translated into real-world products and measurable environmental impact
• 30 days annual leave including bank holidays

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