Laboratory Chemist / Technician - Sustainable Superabsorbent Polymers
Help run the laboratory behind our materials as we scale
Location: Oxford, UK – Begbroke Science Park (on-site, laboratory-based)
Employment: Full-time, permanent
Visa sponsorship: Not available for this role
Company: A&B Smart Materials
Remuneration: Competitive salary and equity, proportionate to experience
Help Build the Future of a Global Industry
A&B Smart Materials is a materials science venture based at the University of Oxford Begbroke Science Park, developing bio-based and/or biodegradable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to replace today’s fossil-based plastics.
SAPs are the “magic-like” absorbent cores inside diapers, menstrual pads and incontinence products, and the “water-storage crystals” that help soil retain moisture in agriculture. Today’s SAPs are persistent plastics, and regulatory pressure, consumer demand and the scale of the microplastics crisis are making sustainable alternatives increasingly urgent.
Our goal is simple and ambitious: to replace the synthetic superabsorbents that dominate a $9B market today, expected to reach $17B by 2035, with materials that achieve the essential trifecta of top performance, competitive pricing and large-scale manufacturability. This is a generational opportunity to reinvent an essential material and make sustainable SAPs the new standard.
Why A&B Smart Materials?
We recently closed a heavily oversubscribed $2M pre-seed round, backed by an exceptional group of investors including Sake Bosch, caesar., Living Hope VC, Archipelago Ventures, Triple Impact Ventures, Cranfield University Seed Fund and Oxford Seed Fund, alongside leading business angels from the Cambridge Capital Group and Oxford Innovation Finance.
A&B Smart Materials was named in the UK Startups 100 2026, won the Planet Positive Award at MRE 2026, and one of our founders has been recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30. We are supported by Chemstars, the EarthScale Accelerator and the Green Tech Legal Collaborative.
We have also signed a deal with one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Achieving this at our stage is an exceptional milestone and a strong validation of our technology, team and commercial momentum.
Our advisors include the former Managing Director of the world’s largest superabsorbent polymer company, alongside other world-class leaders with deep experience across SAPs, hygiene, chemical manufacturing and agriculture.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Laboratory Chemist / Technician to keep our laboratory running smoothly as our R&D programme grows.
Working alongside our research team at Begbroke Science Park, you will run experiments and standard tests, prepare samples, and keep the lab, its equipment and its records in excellent order. In a team of our size, how well the lab runs sets how fast everyone else can move.
Our formulations are still in active development and we are scaling at the same time. As the lab moves from small bench batches towards larger quantities for partner trials, this role will grow with it. We want someone who will learn our science properly and take on more responsibility as the company develops.
What You Will Do
· Support experimental work. Prepare reagents and run synthesis, formulation and characterisation experiments with our scientists, following agreed protocols and taking on more independent work as you learn our chemistry.
· Run our standard performance tests. Carry out routine SAP characterisation, such as free swell capacity, centrifuge retention capacity, absorption against pressure and moisture content, consistently enough that the team can rely on every result.
· Prepare samples. Dry, mill, sieve, weigh, label and log material for internal testing, external laboratories and partner trials.
· Keep accurate records. Record procedures, observations and results in our lab notebooks and data systems so that every sample and result can be traced.
· Run day-to-day lab operations. Manage stock of chemicals, consumables and equipment, place orders, deal with suppliers and receive deliveries. Work should never stop for want of a reagent.
· Look after our equipment. Carry out routine maintenance, cleaning and calibration, troubleshoot faults and coordinate service visits.
· Keep the lab safe and organised. Manage chemical storage and waste, and support COSHH and risk assessments, safety checks and lab inductions.
· Write and improve our procedures. Turn our methods into clear standard operating procedures so results are consistent whoever runs the test.
· Help us scale. Support larger batches as we move from bench towards pilot scale, help produce material for partner trials, and help set up new equipment and lab space.
· Make the team more efficient. Spot where time or material is being wasted, suggest fixes and put them in place.
What We Are Looking For
Practical laboratory ability and the right attitude matter more to us than years of experience.
You should bring a Master’s degree in chemistry or a closely related discipline, such as polymer science, materials chemistry or chemical engineering. We will also consider candidates with a Bachelor’s degree who can show solid hands-on laboratory experience.
You should also have:
· Hands-on wet chemistry experience, whether from a research project, placement, industrial role or previous technician post.
· Confidence with standard laboratory equipment and techniques, and a sound understanding of laboratory safety, including COSHH and risk assessment.
· Careful, accurate record-keeping and good organisation.
· Good working knowledge of Excel, and clear written and spoken English.
Polymer Experience Is an Advantage
We particularly value experience with:
· Polymers, hydrogels or other water-absorbing materials, including biopolymers such as cellulose derivatives, starch or other polysaccharides.
· Analytical and characterisation techniques such as FTIR, TGA, DSC, rheology, moisture analysis, particle size analysis or microscopy.
· Working to standard test methods or within a quality system, for example GLP or ISO-based procedures.
· Running a laboratory day to day, including stock control, ordering and equipment maintenance.
· An industrial, quality control or startup laboratory environment.
How You Work
· A go-getter. You see what needs doing and get on with it without waiting to be asked.
· Detail-oriented. You notice when a number looks wrong, a label is missing or a step has been skipped, and you put it right.
· A team player who pulls their weight. In a small team everyone relies on each other, and you take pride in making the scientists around you more productive.
· Eager to learn. You want to understand the science behind the tests you run and to grow your responsibilities as the company grows.
· Comfortable with change. Our formulations and priorities are still developing, and you adapt without letting standards slip.
Our Culture and What We Offer
We are an ambitious, collaborative, results-oriented startup, for people who take ownership, move with urgency and want to do the best work of their careers. We offer:
· Competitive salary and equity, so you share directly in the company’s success, plus 28 days of paid holiday annually.
· Hands-on experience across the synthesis, testing and scale-up of sustainable superabsorbent polymers.
· Training and support from our scientists, with responsibilities that grow as the lab and the company grow.
· The chance to help build a category-defining company from an early stage.
Join Us
If you are a motivated chemist who wants to do careful, hands-on work in a company aiming to change a global industry, we want to hear from you.
Application form: https://tally.so/r/WJ2G7v
Recruitment email: recruitment@absmartmaterials.com