Senior Development Chemist

Senior Development Chemist

Overview: 

Join Reaforma as our Senior Development Chemist where you'll lead our efforts in revolutionising the thermal conversion of minerals to produce low-carbon cement. Our innovative process focuses on decarbonising the cement industry by leveraging calcined clay production, aiming to reduce global carbon emissions significantly. We seek a candidate with a robust background in Inorganic Chemistry. As the Senior Chemist, you will be instrumental in driving the development of methods to enhance the CO2 uptake of our process as a method of CCS, ensuring our solutions are both groundbreaking and practical.

About Reaforma: 

Reaforma is dedicated to decarbonising the highly emissive cement industry. Our patent-pending process focuses on producing calcined clay and storing carbon, making cement production more sustainable. By eliminating waste, replacing fossil fuels, and using clay instead of limestone, we aim to cut CO2 emissions significantly. The potential impact of our technology is vast, with the global cement industry contributing 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. Reaforma's solutions are poised to transform the future of construction, making it more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

About you:

We are looking for a dynamic and versatile scientist to join Reaforma, someone who thrives in a hands-on role and excels at multitasking. This individual will connect the deep physical science of our technology and the practical industrial science necessary to scale it up. The ideal candidate will excel at tackling complex chemistry challenges using an experimental and computational approach. Designing, iterating, and testing solutions will be key to this role. If you're ready to embrace challenges and contribute to transforming the future of cement, construction, and the climate, we want to hear from you.

Role Overview:

The Senior Cement Chemist plays a key role in cement formulation, process optimisation, and sustainable material innovation. This role integrates chemical modelling, experimental testing, and industrial-scale implementation to enhance cement performance, durability, and environmental sustainability. The position focuses on alternative raw materials, carbon reduction strategies, and process efficiency improvements within calcined clay production. The role also requires a hands-on and off approach, carrying out both lab work and developing comprehensive proposals. The role is a senior role that will be supported by a junior. You will also have full access to an experimental and characterisation lab.

Key Responsibilities:

• Chemistry & Material Optimisation: Develop and refine calcined clay formulations, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) blends, and alternative binders to improve cement performance and sustainability.
• Development of mineral chemistry to support CO2 uptake for SCM enhancement and CCS
• Process Modelling & Simulation: Utilise thermochemical and kinetic models to optimise raw material reactions, hydration processes, and phase transformations.
• Experimental Testing & Analysis: Conduct XRD, XRF, TGA, SEM, and rheological studies to characterise cement properties and optimise mix designs.
• Durability & Performance Enhancement: Assess hydration kinetics, setting time, and mechanical properties to develop high-performance, low-carbon cement solutions.
• Techno-Economic & Sustainability Assessment: Evaluate the economic feasibility and environmental impact of alternative cement formulations and carbon capture strategies.
• Industrial Collaboration & Scale-up: Work closely with production teams, R&D, and regulatory bodies to implement new materials and cement processing innovations at an industrial scale.

Skills & Expertise:

• Expertise in cement chemistry, hydration mechanisms, and materials science.
• Proficiency in process modelling tools and experimental techniques (XRD, TGA, SEM, BET, rheometry).
• Experience in low-carbon cement technologies, alternative fuels, and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS).
• Knowledge of thermochemical reactions, clinker mineralogy, and SCM interactions or the ability to learn rapidly in practice.
• Ability to bridge laboratory research with industrial-scale implementation.
• Familiarity with ISO, ASTM, and EN standards for cement and concrete materials or willingness to upskill in this area.

Qualifications/Level:

• PhD or a similar level of understanding within Chemistry.

What We Offer:

• A leadership role within an innovative and environmentally conscious company.
• The opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research with a global environmental impact.
• Competitive salary and stock options.
• A supportive and growth-oriented work environment.

Reaforma is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We look forward to hearing from you and joining our mission to make a great impact by addressing the climate crisis challenges.