X, The Moonshot Factory · 9 hours ago
2026 PhD Residency – Electrochemical Engineer, Early Stage Project
Mountain View, CA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad
$109K/yr - $129K/yrX, The Moonshot Factory is seeking candidates for the 2026 PhD Residency in Electrochemical Engineering. This role involves collaborating with a project team to innovate clean electrochemical processes for advanced materials, while also engaging in hands-on prototyping and cross-functional teamwork.
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Responsibilities
Collaborate with an early-stage project team to fundamentally rethink how advanced functional materials are manufactured
Rapidly prototype and de-risk novel synthesis techniques
Apply the latest in electrochemistry and materials characterization to correlate synthesis parameters (voltage, current density, electrolyte chemistry) with critical material properties and performance
Develop "fail-fast" experimental loops to assess and recommend areas in which to de-risk the project
Work cross-functionally with experts across chemistry, mechanical engineering, rapid prototyping, and physics to integrate your material into functional demos
Engage with the resident community during the program (attending tech talks, colloquium, and learning moonshot thinking), and most importantly HAVE FUN!
Qualification
Required
Active PhD program in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a related field
Deep working experience with electrochemistry: You should be very experienced with potentiostats or power supplies and have a deep understanding of electrochemical methodologies such as CV, EIS, LSV, etc
Hands-on experience with electrometallurgy: A strong background in driving chemical transformations via electrolysis, electrowinning, or electroplating
Strong characterization skills: Ability to independently analyze materials using standard techniques (e.g., XRF, XRD, SEM, AFM, EDS or similar) to validate your synthesis results
Good at problem stating and problem solving: You can take an ambiguous goal and turn it into a concrete experimental plan
Can-do attitude: Willing to learn new tools (e.g., laser cutting, 3D printing) to build your own test rigs rather than waiting for someone else to do it
Excellent communication skills: Experience writing strategy docs, delivering presentations, and a general openness to liaise with senior external partners
Motivated by making the world a better place through technology, and wanting to be part of a team that makes this happen
Preferred
Experience scaling up reactions and moving from static batch cells to flow cells or continuous processing
Experience using Python (pandas, scipy) to automate the analysis of large experimental datasets
Benefits
Benefits
Company
X, The Moonshot Factory
X, the moonshot factory invents and launches breakthrough technologies and radical solutions. It is a sub-organization of Alphabet.
Founded in 2010
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Helen Riley
COO/CFO of X, The Moonshot Factory (aka Google X)
Artem Goncharuk
Director of Engineering
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