R&D Science Lead

About Radiant Matter

Radiant Matter is developing a new generation of colourful material solutions for the circular economy. Today’s brilliant, sparkling colours come at a high cost, causing microplastic pollution and depleting natural resources. Inspired by nature’s dazzling structural colours, like those in peacock feathers and beetles, we engineer non-toxic, biodegradable, and low-carbon alternatives, free from plastics, metals, minerals, and pigments. We’re disrupting a £70bn colour effects market with radical, bio-inspired solutions that will shape the future of colour-effect materials, which can be applied across industries

We are backed by leading climate and deeptech VCs and angels from our 2024 pre-seed round. You can read some of our press coverage here: in Vogue, Hello Magazine, Stella McCartney at Paris Fashion Week & The Sunday Times

The Team and Location

We’re an ambitious and driven team of 5 with plans to double in size over the next 18 months. Our multidisciplinary team and advisors have experience spanning science, engineering, and industry expertise, operating out of the Scale Space Incubator labs in White City (W12). Co-working together is integral to our DNA, as it enables us to work in an agile and collaborative way, and enjoy time together through lunches, social events, and Lunch & Learn sessions. This is a full-time role, but we’re open to discussing flexible working arrangements for the right candidate

The Role

The R&D Science Lead is a pivotal role that will greatly influence the direction of Radiant Matter and drive our innovation. In this role, you will lead the development of our materials to meet manufacturing specifications, leading and coordinating a team of interdisciplinary scientists while also assuming a broader leadership role in managing intellectual property and material development.

More specifically, some of the key areas of responsibility will include:

Driving innovation across materials, processes, and technology: Your role will be to ensure our materials excel across key performance areas. You’ll shape and execute an R&D strategy that aligns with our mission, timelines, commercial objectives and budget. You’ll own and drive R&D decision making spanning biopolymers, liquid crystals, nanoparticles and structural colour - from bioinspiration, lab-scale research and experiments to industry-grade products, taking calculated risks to push innovation boundaries and accelerate growth.
Data-driven R&D planning, management & reporting: You will drive R&D projects forward with clear priorities, realistic timelines, and smart resource allocation. You'll turn data into actionable insights and ensure results are clearly communicated to both technical and non-technical audiences. Your job is to connect the dots, linking the R&D roadmap to our commercial strategy, incorporating customer feedback, and ensuring the team stays aligned, on track, and on time. You'll take full ownership of your team's progress and deliverables, with weekly reporting.
Intellectual Property: You'll proactively identify and seek intellectual property opportunities, continuously refine and execute a robust IP strategy together with our advisors and play a key role in protecting new inventions.
Team Leadership & Development: You'll lead our interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, guiding, inspiring and supervising the team to deliver on ambitious objectives. That means giving and receiving regular, actionable feedback, rolling up your sleeves to solve problems together, and fostering a culture where initiative, growth, and continuous learning are part of the day-to-day.
Lab & Supplier Management & Partnerships: You’ll ensure the lab runs smoothly, including maintaining world-class health & safety standards. You’ll also lead on supply chain partnerships with a commercial and technical lens.

Candidate Profile

We are not prescriptive and understand that a great candidate can come from anywhere. However, we believe the following key attributes & experiences will significantly increase your ability to succeed in this role, and as such, we’re prioritising those who demonstrate the following, as assessed at application, interview, and referencing:

Relevant Background: You’ll bring a strong foundation in materials science, biomaterials, colloidal science, organic chemistry, photonics, R&D product development, or related sciences. With 5+ years of relevant experience, you’ve worked on novel cutting-edge ideas either in academia or industry, and are confident in analysis techniques such as SEM, microscopy, spectroscopy, electrostatic measurements & liquid processing techniques.
Visionary Yet Pragmatic: You combine an inventive mindset with a strong bias for execution. You’re excited by out-of-the-box thinking and pushing boundaries, yet grounded enough to turn bold ideas into tangible outcomes, whether that means being hands-on in the lab or thinking strategically to guide long-term success.
Team Leadership within Science and R&D: You’ve built and led high-performing science teams before, turning ambitious R&D goals into outcomes. You know how to inspire, guide, and motivate R&D teams to achieve big goals and keep momentum high.
Mission Aligned: Our mission matters to you - it’s not just a job, you’re here to help build materials for the future to help our planet.
High Collaboration/Action-Oriented: You thrive in fast-paced, feedback-rich environments. You’ll bring energy, flexibility and a solutions-first mindset.
Effective Communicator: You communicate clearly and concisely, and share your work in a way that brings people together, whether they’re teammates, scientific advisors or non-scientific external partners
Intellectual Property: You understand the value of protecting great ideas and the global IP landscape. You are comfortable working with external legal advisors to develop IP strategies.

Application Process:

Application form:

Please fill in this Google form to apply for the role. We will ask you to send through your CV if we progress you to the first round of interviews.

Accessibility:

We are a disability-positive employer; for shortlisted candidates, we will be in touch to discuss any reasonable adjustments required for the interview process.

Interview stages:

Round 1: 20mins introductory call with our Operations Manager
Round 2: 45 min technical interview discussing your technical background
Round 3: 1 hour task interview (we will ask you to prepare a short assignment ahead of the final interview)

Application Volume:

We appreciate your interest in joining our team. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to respond to every candidate individually. We will contact you directly if your qualifications are a strong match for the role.

Work Authorisation:

Ideally, we would find a candidate who does not require visa sponsorship. However, for the right candidate, we are open to discussing this further so please let us know your right to work status on the application form.

Radiant Matter

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R&D Science Lead