Impress employers and recruiters.
Choose from hundreds of resume examples.

Impress employers and recruiters.
Choose from hundreds of resume examples.

Target Resume Now

About the Role

Operate and maintain a materials synthesis and characterisation lab, running experiments and owning instruments with minimal supervision. This role is for an independent individual with practical experience in research-grade equipment, who takes pride in both well-maintained instruments and well-executed experiments. You will join a small, ambitious team of world-renowned engineers, AI researchers, and materials scientists in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Operate core instrument suite independently, including high vacuum equipment, high temperature metallurgy systems, high field magnets, XRD, SEM, and optical characterisation.
• Perform routine and preventive maintenance, and diagnose faults.
• Run synthesis and characterisation experiments, ensuring reproducibility and rigorous data capture.
• Write and maintain SOPs and risk assessments for owned equipment and processes.
• Manage consumables, materials inventory, and equipment readiness for the research team.
• Collaborate with materials scientists and ML researchers to design experimental runs and interpret results.
• Support the integration of experimental data into digital infrastructure and AI pipelines.

Requirements

• Several years of hands-on experience operating and maintaining research-grade equipment in a professional setting.
• Direct experience with two or more instrument domains from the suite: high-vacuum equipment, X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical characterisation setups, high-temperature metallurgical synthesis equipment, high-field magnets, or Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
• Solid working knowledge of vacuum systems, including pump types, leak detection, and routine maintenance.
• Familiarity with ionising radiation safety requirements and relevant local regulations.
• Background from one or more of: semiconductor manufacturing, scientific instrumentation companies, industrial research, national laboratories or other major national facilities, or NDT.
• Careful, methodical approach to documentation, including maintenance logs, SOPs, and data provenance.

Skills

• High-vacuum equipment operation and maintenance
• X-ray diffraction (XRD) operation and maintenance
• Optical characterisation setup operation and maintenance
• High-temperature metallurgical synthesis equipment operation and maintenance
• High-field magnets operation and maintenance
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) operation and maintenance
• Vacuum systems knowledge
• Ionising radiation safety awareness
• Documentation (maintenance logs, SOPs, data provenance)
• SOP and risk assessment writing/reviewing
• CAD for fixture or tooling design
• Automated data capture
• Basic scripting for instrument control

Location

• London

Work Type

• Flexible approach to how and where you work

Experience Level

• Several years of hands-on experience

Salary/Compensations

• Competitive salary

Benefits

• Generous equity
• Benefits

About the Company

• Diffractive is building the AI Material Scientist that autonomously learns from real-world experimentation to push the boundaries of scientific discovery.
• We're early, moving fast, and working on problems that genuinely matter.
• You'll join a small, high-calibre team where your work has real impact from day one.
• We're London-based with a flexible approach to how and where you work.
• We offer competitive salary, generous equity and benefits.
• You'll have a real stake in what you build and in the company's overall success.

Equal Opportunity

• Diffractive is an equal opportunities employer.
• We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
• If you require any adjustments or accommodations at any point during the interview process please let us know - we will be happy to help.