Website:
polyenergetics.com
Job details:
About PolyEnergetics
Climate change is a global challenge affecting every human and every ecosystem. Solving it requires clean, scalable, and deeply reliable energy systems. Nuclear fission is one of the world’s most powerful pathways to deep decarbonization, but it has its own challenges of safety, timelines and cost of deployment.
At PolyEnergetics, we are building a micro-modular reactor (MMR) based on the Molten-Salt Reactor (MSR) concept, to address these challenges head-on and still provide clean, safe, reliable energy for all, economically and at scale.. We leverage AI, high-performance compute and advanced manufacturing techniques to achieve this.
Passionate about driving progress without harming the planet?
Join us!
As an early member of the team in this exciting field of nuclear engineering, you get to play an outsized role in making a positive impact on the world we live, working alongside the founding team.
Learn more about us: polyenergetics.com
About the role
We're looking for a Molten Salt Chemist to own the chemistry of a next-generation molten-salt reactor. You'll combine experiments and computational thermochemistry to shape fuel and coolant salts, guide materials selection, and establish the processes behind a working reactor. From first-principles models to laboratory evidence and regulator-ready substantiation, your work will help bring the reactor to life.
What you’ll do
● Perform and/or supervise thermodynamic equilibrium, phase stability, molten salt property, corrosion and redox chemistry analyses, and fuel salt composition optimisation.
● Prepare inputs, run computational thermochemistry and molten salt chemistry codes, and interpret results to guide reactor design and materials selection.
● Plan and perform experiments to characterise fuel and coolant salt properties; prepare and characterise surrogate and nuclear fuel salts.
● Establish molten salt laboratory facilities and capabilities for salt preparation, purification, handling, and chemical characterisation.
● Train and supervise interns in molten salt handling, electrochemistry, and chemical analysis.
● Develop and continuously improve the research programme to verify and establish chemical processes.
● Build relationships with industry and academic experts to bring existing knowledge and expertise into our research.
● Document findings in structured technical reports and communicate key results clearly to relevant stakeholders.
● Present and defend molten salt chemistry analyses and technical recommendations to regulatory bodies and other stakeholders.
Required experience
● PhD in Molten Salt Chemistry or a related field.
● Experience with chemical analysis techniques such as UV-vis, IR or Raman spectroscopy, ICP-OES/MS, and X-ray diffraction.
● Experience using electrochemical methods to study chemical behaviour.
● Experience handling and purifying molten salts.
● Hands-on proficiency with OpenCalphad, Thermochimica, Thermo-Calc, FactSage, or similar tools for phase equilibria, thermodynamics, and molten salt chemistry. Our internal stack leans towards open-source tools such as OpenCalphad, Thermochimica, MOOSE-based applications, and Python-based scientific workflows.
● Strong scientific programming skills in one or more of FORTRAN, Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or C#.
● Experience producing regulator-facing documentation and working to formal QA/licensing standards.
● Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams (reactor physics, thermal, structural, safety) and communicate technical results clearly to non-specialists. Computer proficiency; Linux and Windows experience is a strong asset.
What we value in you
● Ownership. You will help decide which experiments and analyses matter, carry them through, and explain what they mean for the reactor. Early-stage means the gaps are yours to find.
● Intellectual honesty. We want the chemist who can explain where the data are uncertain, where a model is weak, and how to validate it. In nuclear, that instinct is central to the discipline.
● Rigour without ritual. We respect the standards and follow the procedures. We also question anything we're doing purely because it has always been done that way.
● Motivation that doesn't need managing. This is a startup building a nuclear reactor. That is exactly as demanding as it sounds, and the people who thrive here are the ones who find that thrilling rather than daunting.
Why this role is different
Here, you will help define the chemistry of a reactor from the ground up. The salt compositions, processes, and experimental programme are still taking shape, and your work will help shape them.
You will work on a molten-salt MMR where chemistry connects fuel and coolant performance, corrosion, materials compatibility, and long-term operability. You will bring laboratory experiments and thermochemical models together, building on an open-source computational stack with AI, high-performance computing, and scientific programming as practical tools.
You will join early, alongside the founding team, with the scope to establish laboratory capabilities, shape analysis methods, and build the technical evidence behind design decisions. Your work will connect directly with reactor physics, thermal engineering, materials, and safety - all towards clean, safe, reliable energy for everyone.
If you want your chemistry to help bring a reactor to life, this is the room to be in.
How to Apply
Just send us an email at info@polyenergetics.com, with a note about yourself and your resume.
We’ll be in touch!
Click on Apply to know more.
