Scientist – Battery Materials Research and Development

The Battery Technology Department at IFE has a vacant temporary researcher position in materials development with a focus on organic materials chemistry. We are increasing our activity in research and development of materials for renewable energy where we collaborate closely with Norwegian and foreign industry partners as well as with internationally recognized academic partners. The position is a temporary 1-year contract.

We are seeking a person who can strengthen our team driving the development of organic materials within the battery cells. This particular project includes smart functionalities such as self-healing and sensing. This person would also work closely with the European Affairs Department to support communication, dissemination, and innovation activities related to battery research.

Work tasks 

The main tasks will be to perform R&D in the field of new technology and materials for production of high-quality materials for battery applications, within the framework of national and international R&D projects. The Battery Technology Department at IFE has long standing experience within the synthesis of silicon-based materials for lithium-ion batteries, and continued testing and development of these materials will be a substantial part of the work tasks.

Depending on the background of the candidate, the research scientist may be involved in the following activities at IFE:

• Defining experiments to modify and optimizing battery materials for example through coating, milling, spray drying, and other processing methods.
• Characterization of silicon and polymeric materials using electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution analysis, and elemental analysis.Publishing results in leading peer-reviewed journals.
• Presenting recent work at internationally relevant conferences.
• Conduct electrochemical analyses to evaluate battery performance and degradation.
  Collaborate closely with scientists and engineers in multidisciplinary project teams.
• Apply iterative problem-solving approaches to optimise experimental processes.
• Drive decision making, proposing and explore new ideas based on experimental observations or hypothesis.
• Within your employment you are expected to contribute to new proposals within solid state electrolytes and electrolyte decomposition.    

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent academic degree in chemistry, materials science, physics, or similar field.
• An experimentalist view: ability to plan and perform experiments, analyse results, summarize and conclude.
• Strong collaborative skills.
• Strong expertise in polymeric materials for electrochemistry is preferred.

Expertise within one or more of the following topics will be beneficial:

• Synthesis and processing of nanomaterials together with polymeric materials.
• Understanding the interaction of battery materials from an organic chemistry perspective.
• Advanced characterization of polymeric materials for batteries.
• Programming (Python preferred) and database management.Publication record in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
  

 

Personal qualities

We are looking for a motivated person who has excellent problem-solving skills and who will be an active participant and collaborator in our group. You will have the chance to gain knowledge and skills that will support and extend the opportunities we have in our research groups. We pride ourselves in delivering technology needed by our partners and by society.

We offer

• Exciting and challenging research tasks.
• Participation in the development of sustainable technology.
• Participation in an internationally leading research team.
• Social benefits including pension, life insurance and accident insurance.
• Salary according to agreement.
• Collaboration with highly motivated and creative people within a well-integrated and social research group.

IFE is subject to the Security Act, which includes requirements for the organisation’s management of critical national information, as well as other relevant legislation concerning the management of sensitive information. On this basis, it is a prerequisite for employment that the applicant is suitable from a security perspective. Note that relevant applicants will be asked questions that are necessary to ascertain this. This includes questions about any ties to countries that the PST has classified as a ‘high-risk country’ in its open threat assessment. Background checks are performed as part of our recruitment process.

We view diversity as a strength in our work. We therefore encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and ethnic background. We place great emphasis on your personal suitability for the position.

Kontaktinformasjon

Sanna Sommer, Department Head Battery, +4746756156, Sanna.Sommer@ife.no
Nienke Visser, Researcher , +4740302616, Nienke.Visser@ife.no
Inger Emma Nylund, Researcher, +4795068089, Inger-Emma.Nylund@ife.no

Arbeidssted

Instituttveien 18
2007 Kjeller

Nøkkelinformasjon:

Arbeidsgiver: Institutt for energiteknikk (IFE)

Referansenr.: 5030401484
Stillingsprosent: 100%
Seasonal
Startdato: 01.12.2025
Sluttdato: 31.10.2026
Søknadsfrist: 13.11.2025