Physicist jobs

Senior Research Scientist – Advanced Nanomaterials, Optoelectronics & Thermal Systems

About Milvus Advanced

Milvus Advanced is redefining materials science by inventing the next generation of functional materials.

We replace scarce, expensive and geopolitically constrained elements such as indium, gold, iridium and platinum with high performance nanoalloys and engineered materials that enable the technologies powering artificial intelligence, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

Our proprietary discovery and scale up platform transforms fundamental chemistry into manufacturable products for optoelectronics, electronics, thermal management and sustainable industrial processes.

As critical minerals become increasingly strategic, we ask a simple question:

What happens when the materials modern technology depends upon become scarce?

Rather than optimising today's materials, we create entirely new ones that are abundant, scalable and commercially viable.

Our technologies are designed to:

• Reduce dependence on critical and scarce minerals.
• Improve electrical, optical and thermal performance.
• Enable scalable and cost effective manufacturing.
• Accelerate the transition to a cleaner and more resilient industrial future.

Milvus Advanced is backed by world leading investors including Hoxton Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital and is rapidly scaling breakthrough technologies from the laboratory into global markets.

The Role

We are seeking an exceptional Research Scientist or Research Engineer to lead the development of next generation functional nanomaterials for optoelectronic and thermal management applications.

This is a highly interdisciplinary role spanning nanomaterial synthesis, device fabrication, advanced characterisation and technology development. You will work at the interface of chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering to create novel materials capable of replacing today's critical minerals.

You will investigate advanced conductive materials, nanowire architectures and multifunctional material systems that combine exceptional electrical conductivity, optical transparency and thermal performance.

Applications include transparent conductive films, flexible electronics, photonic devices, semiconductor packaging, artificial intelligence hardware, advanced cooling technologies and high density data centre infrastructure.

This is an opportunity to invent entirely new materials rather than simply improving existing ones.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, synthesise and optimise advanced nanomaterials including metallic nanowires, nanoparticles, nanoalloys and hybrid material systems.
• Develop transparent conductive materials for touch screens, displays, wearable electronics and next generation optoelectronic devices.
• Investigate multifunctional materials that combine electrical, optical, mechanical and thermal performance.
• Develop advanced thermal management materials and technologies for semiconductor devices, artificial intelligence accelerators and liquid cooled data centre infrastructure.
• Design and evaluate thermal interface materials, heat spreaders, cold plates and advanced cooling architectures.
• Perform comprehensive electrical, optical, thermal and structural characterisation of advanced materials.
• Develop laboratory processes that can be translated into scalable manufacturing.
• Collaborate with universities, industrial partners and customers to accelerate technology development.
• Generate patents, scientific publications and technical reports.
• Contribute to research strategy, product roadmaps and commercial technology development.
• Identify commercially valuable opportunities arising from research and contribute to intellectual property generation.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industrial experience in Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Applied Physics, Electronic Materials, Photonics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Electrical Engineering.
• Strong understanding of nanomaterial synthesis, processing and characterisation.
• Experience with one or more advanced functional materials including metallic nanowires, nanoparticles, graphene, carbon nanotubes, MXenes, conductive polymers, metal oxides, semiconductor nanomaterials or other low dimensional materials.
• Experience developing materials for electronic, photonic or energy related applications.
• Knowledge of optoelectronic devices, semiconductor materials or functional thin films.
• Experience with electrical, thermal and optical characterisation techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to design and execute independent research programmes.
• Strong scientific communication and technical writing skills.

Desirable Experience

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous:

• Colloidal nanomaterial synthesis.
• Thin film deposition and coating technologies.
• Solution processing and printable electronics.
• Flexible electronics.
• Transparent conductive films.
• Thermal interface materials.
• Heat transfer and electronics cooling.
• Direct to chip liquid cooling.
• Data centre thermal management.
• Semiconductor packaging.
• Silicon photonics.
• Artificial intelligence hardware.
• Electron microscopy including SEM and TEM.
• X ray diffraction.
• Raman spectroscopy.
• UV Visible spectroscopy.
• Four point probe and Hall effect measurements.
• Thermal conductivity measurements.
• Computational modelling using COMSOL Multiphysics, ANSYS or equivalent software.
• Technology transfer, product development or industrial scale up.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for ambitious scientists who enjoy working across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

You should be excited by solving fundamental scientific challenges while building technologies with real industrial impact.

The ideal candidate combines scientific curiosity with practical engineering thinking and enjoys transforming laboratory discoveries into commercially valuable products.

You will thrive if you enjoy working in a fast moving deep technology environment where creativity, ownership and collaboration are essential.

Why Join Milvus Advanced?

Joining Milvus means helping redefine the materials that underpin the modern world.

You will have the opportunity to develop breakthrough technologies that reduce dependence on critical minerals while enabling the next generation of artificial intelligence, electronics and clean energy systems.

We offer:

• Competitive salary and equity participation.
• Opportunity to work on globally significant scientific challenges.
• A central role within a rapidly growing venture backed deep technology company.
• Direct involvement in creating world leading intellectual property.
• Collaboration with outstanding scientists, engineers and industrial partners.
• Dedicated training and professional development budget.
• Private medical insurance.
• Relocation support where appropriate.
• Flexible and supportive working environment.
• The opportunity to shape the future direction of the company.

Our Values

At Milvus Advanced, our mission is to reindustrialise the world without exhausting its natural resources.

We believe the future depends on replacing scarcity with innovation.

We value people who are intellectually curious, collaborative, ambitious and motivated by solving difficult scientific problems.

We foster a culture built on trust, respect, inclusion and continuous learning.

Research consistently shows that talented individuals, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, are less likely to apply unless they meet every listed requirement. If you are excited by our mission and believe you could make a meaningful contribution, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Job Type: Full time

Benefits

• Employee mentoring programme
• Employee share option scheme
• Private medical insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Sick pay
• Free on site parking
• Training and development budget

Work Location: In person - Oxford

Pay: £40,000.00-£50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Paid volunteer time
• Private medical insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Sick pay

Application question(s):

• Do you have a PhD in materials science, nano materials, photonics, physics or any related fields?
• What is your experience with wet chemistry synthesis and experience synthesising metallic nanoparticles in hydro- and solvo-thermal solutions?
• What is your level of hands-on experience with colloidal synthesis?
• What is your level of hands-on experience with thermal and optical characterisation techniques?

Work Location: In person