What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Scientist position at U.S. Silica Company?
U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. is a global performance materials company and is a member of the Russell 2000. The company is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 123-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver more than 600 diversified products to customers across our end markets.
U.S. Silica's wholly-owned subsidiaries include EP Minerals and SandBox Logistics™. EP Minerals is an industry leader in the production of products derived from diatomaceous earth, perlite, engineered clays and non-activated clays. SandBox Logistics™ is a state-of-the-art leader in proppant storage, handling and well-site delivery, and is dedicated to making proppant logistics cleaner, safer and, more efficient. The company has 27 operating mines and processing facilities and two additional exploration stage properties across the United States and is headquartered in Katy, Texas.
The Principal Scientist is responsible for developing new product offerings and providing technical support to the Products and Innovation, Sales, and Technical Service groups. This position will plan and conduct research projects, generate intellectual property, and lead the progression of R&D projects through US Silica’s innovation pipeline. The expected travel time to visit select customers, plants, or conferences is 15%.
The ideal candidate will possess a Ph.D. degree and 15 years of relevant industrial experience in product development. Possessing a strong understanding of the practical limitations of select mineral compositions and properties is a plus.
Essential Job Functions:
- Conduct new product development research from prototyping to commercialization
- Utilize a range of mineral processing technologies to improve the performance of select materials
- Assist in troubleshooting problems that arise in new product launches at our plants
- Prepare presentations for the executive, commercial, and engineering teams on research projects
- Prepare invention disclosures and support the patent filing process
- Prepare weekly reports to highlight progress on current projects
- Support and mentor less-experienced colleagues. Direct the work of technicians.
- Represent the company at major technical forums
Required Education, Experience, and Skills:
- Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science or Equivalent
Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills:
- Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science or Equivalent
- Strong understanding of the practical limitations of select mineral compositions and properties
- Industrial mineral processing experience (e.g. wet milling, dry milling, pyroprocessing, purification, classification, agglomeration)
- Develop novel methods to qualify new product applications
- Product development and commercialization
- Comfortable working with state-of-the-art minerals processing and characterization equipment
- Strong working knowledge and experience working with industrial minerals and chemical additives
- High level of knowledge of physical chemistry and powder technology
- Experience conducting trials in a laboratory, pilot plant, or plant environment
- Demonstrated creativity and strong problem-solving expertise using innovative approaches
- Demonstrated product/process development working directly with customers
- Demonstrated product/process development experience from ideation to commercialization is highly desired.
- Strong cross-functional team experience (e.g. working with other scientists, operations, sales and marketing, etc.)
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Self-directed and able to work both independently and as a team member
