Polymer Research Scientist

Role overview

Polymer Research Scientist at Manastu Space

This is a senior, hands-on role. ‍ The central technical challenge is compatibility in two directions.

Role Objective This role builds Manastu's elastomer capability for green propulsion, from the laboratory bench to flight.

We need a Polymer Research Scientist in Navi Mumbai with a PhD and 5 to 10 years of post-PhD industry experience.

Hydrogen peroxide can harden, swell or weaken an elastomer.

The fillers, cure residues and additives in the elastomer can also make the propellant decompose.

The diaphragm must also flex on every expulsion and stay compatible for the full mission life.

Test data that customers and agencies accept must support each material choice. ‍ You will work at the intersection of polymer chemistry, materials testing, supplier quality and propulsion.

The design, propellant, metallurgy, manufacturing and test teams will use your results to make engineering decisions. ‍ Key Responsibilities 1.

Own the research roadmap: rank the root causes of elastomer failure in our data, and set pass or fail criteria. ‍ 2.

Own the budget, people, equipment and vendor plan, hold cost and lead time to it, and answer to the founders. ‍ 3.

Set measurable targets for each part, meet them on schedule, and report any miss without delay. ‍ 4.

Make the formulation and vendor decision for each part on data, and record the reason for every rejection. ‍ 5.

Set the failure criteria and write the materials specification, and approve every change to both. ‍ 6.

Take each material from coupons to components and flight-representative hardware, and close any gap between the results. ‍ 7.

Approve or reject each vendor against our requirements, control incoming lots statistically, and keep a second vendor per part. ‍ 8.

Sign the storage life case and the data pack, and defend both in customer and agency reviews. ‍ 9.

Stop any test, lot or delivery that breaks a limit, and close each non-conformance by root cause. ‍ 10.

Build and lead the team, and train it to run the tests and incoming checks without you.

Experience & Background 1.

A PhD in Polymer Science, Polymer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline. ‍ 2.

Between 5 and 10 years of post-PhD industry experience with elastomers, seals or polymer compatibility. ‍ 3.

A strong foundation in polymer degradation chemistry: oxidation, chain scission and post-crosslinking, with rate constants and activation energies. ‍ 4.

Knowledge of elastomer compounds: base polymer, crosslink density, cure system, fillers and additives, and their effect on compatibility. ‍ 5.

Several elastomer formulations that you selected and qualified with vendors, for different parts or service conditions; at least one is in production use today. ‍ 6.

Hands-on experience with volume swell, hardness, compression set, tensile and FTIR tests to ASTM D471, D395, D2240 and D412, and cross-checks between them. ‍ 7.

A record of materials taken from screening to qualified production as the lead, and experience of a Nadcap elastomer seals or AS9100 audit. ‍ 8.

Relevant backgrounds include O-ring and seal compounding, semiconductor wet processing, oil and gas, aerospace propulsion, and nuclear or pharmaceutical equipment.

A senior scientist who turns a broad objective into an approved plan, and is accountable for what the team delivers. ‍

Builds methods and test rigs where none exist, does the critical tests personally, and needs no senior above them in the subject. ‍

Explains a materials decision to people who are not polymer scientists, says clearly what they do not know, and changes position only on evidence. ‍

Makes each test safe and clean by design, and reports problems early. ‍ What we offer - Competitive compensation - Comprehensive health insurance - High ownership and visibility, with direct access to leadership - Support for learning, conferences, and research exposure - Subsidised lunch plan If you are motivated by solving complex challenges at scale, we would like to hear from you (careers@manastuspace.com).

Manastu Space is a pioneering space technology company developing green propulsion systems, redefining space safety.

We specialize in full-stack maneuverability solutions for satellites and upper stages of launch vehicles.

As the number of satellites in orbit continues to grow, ensuring safe and reliable maneuverability has become critical for mission-success and long-term orbital sustainability. ‍ Our propulsion systems offer an agile and enhanced maneuvering, with its proprietary hydrogen peroxide-alcohol based novel green propellant; MS-289.

This performance-enhancing and high reliability fuel replaces toxic propellants such as hydrazine, making it the future-ready choice for sustainable satellite propulsion. ‍ Designed for safety, rapid integration and operational efficiency, our systems provide the precision required for orbit-raising, station-keeping, collision avoidance and end-of-life deorbiting, helping operators safeguard assets while reducing the growing threat of space debris. ‍ Website: https://www.manastuspace.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manastu-space/ Email: careers@manastuspace.com

Responsibilities

• You will decide which elastomers seal and separate our propellant, and which vendors supply them.

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Experience in oxidiser service, such as nonmetallic materials for oxygen service to ASTM G63 or hydrogen peroxide, is an advantage, but it is not necessary. ‍ Ideal Candidate Profile

Employment details

• Location: Navi Mumbai [Maharashtra] [India]

Additional role details

• Your results will set how long our hydrogen peroxide-based green monopropellant stays stable in flight hardware. ‍ You will own the work end to end: the research roadmap, the targets, the team, the vendors and the materials specification that production uses.
• Our own measured data, not vendor data sheets, will support each decision. ‍ ‍