Research Engineer

QpiVolta is seeking a Sodium-Ion Battery Engineer to drive the development, optimization, and scale-up of sodium-ion battery materials and cells, with particular focus on hard carbon anodes, electrolyte–SEI engineering, ICE improvement, and pilot-line pouch cell fabrication.

This role requires strong hands-on experimental capability, deep electrochemical understanding, and the ability to translate lab-scale insights into pilot-line-ready processes.

Key Responsibilities

Sodium-Ion Anode & Electrochemistry

Design, synthesize, and optimize hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries

Evaluate doped hard carbons (e.g., N-doped carbons) and their impact on ICE, SEI, and kinetics

Study Na storage mechanisms, voltage profiles, and irreversible capacity loss

Develop strategies to improve Initial Coulombic Efficiency (ICE) and cycle stability

Electrolyte & Interface Engineering

Develop and optimize carbonate- and ether-based Na-ion electrolytes

Investigate SEI formation mechanisms on hard carbon

Evaluate electrolyte additives and their impact on ICE and aging

Address Na inventory loss and interfacial degradation

Cell Development (Coin → Pouch)

Assemble and test coin cells and pouch cells

Perform electrode balancing (N/P ratio), loading optimization, and thickness optimization

Implement and evaluate pre-sodiation strategies

Analyze full-cell degradation mechanisms

Characterization & Failure Analysis

Conduct electrochemical testing: CV, GCD, EIS, GITT

Perform materials characterization: XRD, SEM/EDS, BET, Raman, XPS

Carry out post-mortem analysis on aged cells

Correlate materials properties with cell-level performance

Pilot-Line & Scale-Up

Translate lab-scale processes to pilot-line-compatible workflows

Support slurry formulation, coating, drying, calendering, and stacking

Work closely with process, equipment, and quality teams

Improve batch consistency, yield, and reproducibility

Required Qualifications

Education

MTech / MS in Electrochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines

Strong fundamentals of sodium-ion battery chemistry

Hands-on experience with hard carbon anodes

Deep understanding of ICE loss mechanisms and SEI chemistry

Experience with coin and pouch cell assembly

Strong electrochemical data analysis capability

Experience with nitrogen-doped or engineered hard carbons

Pre-sodiation techniques (chemical, electrochemical, sacrificial additives)

Knowledge of Na-ion cathodes (Prussian blue analogs, layered oxides, polyanion systems)

Pilot-line or scale-up exposure

Familiarity with DOE and statistical process control