Research engineer

Qpi Volta 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