Cambium is dedicated to the development of next generation, high-performance advanced materials needed across land, air, sea and space, for defense and commercial applications.
There is a need for new material solutions that either enable products to be made better, faster, or cheaper. For example, the defense industrial base is seeing a generational shift from large, complex, manned platforms to autonomous, networked systems built around massed production resulting in the emergence of new platforms like UAVs supported by lightweighting capabilities. The emergence of hypersonics is challenging both the performance of materials needed to withstand extreme temperatures and their resulting supply chains. Commercial sectors from space exploration to renewable energy likewise have unique material challenges. Simply put, each requires material solutions and resulting supply chains that enable products to be made easier, faster, and cheaper. Cambium's mission is to advance these solutions.
Cambium's innovation platform is vertically integrated to enable rapid development of solutions, from computational material discovery at the front-end through to rapid prototyping and eventual domestic production of advanced composites. To do this, Cambium leverages state-of-the-art advances in every field of relevance, from biological, chemical and material discovery, through to advanced fabrication of composite structures. Its early product pipeline, ranges from supporting the development of hypersonic flight vehicles to enhanced survivability unmanned aerial vehicles to laser-protective eyewear and optics. For example, its activities in thermal protection are designed to better protect various hardware against extreme conditions such as heat, fire and rapid-heating impacts, and from severe aerodynamic heating and pressure loads experienced during flight.
With its newly completed $19.7M Series A round and supported by nearly $30M in various multi-year DoD contracts, Cambium is rapidly building out its team, pilot-scale facilities, and associated commercial capabilities. Its team is growing to around 35 this year and to 50 by the end of 2025. In April, the company will move into a new 25,000 square feet HQ in El Segundo, CA where R&D is predominantly located and where various pilot manufacturing lines will be constructed. Additionally, it has over 10,000 square feet at the Mojave Air and Space Port, CA for rapid prototyping and live demonstrations.
Cambium is positioned for significant growth and impact in various sectors that employ high-performance advanced materials for a wide range of defense and commercial markets. As the company continues to expand its research and development efforts, Cambium is poised to shape the future of materials engineering, driving progress towards more resilient, efficient, and environmentally conscious hardware solutions.
Visit Cambium to learn more about the company and its team.
Cambium is seeking a Computational Polymer Scientist to join our growing team in El Segundo, CA. The successful candidate will have a strategic mindset, a strong desire to help grow a company, and will help us build a work culture of open-mindedness that embraces creativity and contrarian thinking. At Cambium we're willing to do things differently.
THE ROLE
Cambium is seeking a collaboration-oriented, results-driven Computational Polymer Scientist to drive our materials discovery activities. Key responsibilities of this role will include training and using machine learning models to discover innovative materials, leading molecular simulation efforts, and working in close concert with our chemists, materials scientists, manufacturing team, and business development experts. As Cambium experiences rapid growth, the responsibilities for this role are expected to evolve. This is an on-site position with some flexibility.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead the computation-based discovery of new materials, including thermosetting resins, additives, and polymers.
Use physics-based simulations and predictive machine learning models to identify and evaluate innovative materials for aerospace and defense applications.
Work closely with synthetic chemists, polymer scientists, and resin formulators to answer key scientific questions via computational methods.
Develop and expand our codebase for performing machine learning related activities.
Maintain awareness of and engage with cutting edge open source machine learning tools, especially those related to chemistry and materials science.
Communicate and collaborate with teams to craft and execute research plans.
Communicate clearly and concisely key concepts, research status, performance outcomes, and lessons learned to senior leadership, investors, and collaborators.
Contribute to the broader engineering team in a manner consistent with Cambium's mission and values and the growth of Cambium's business.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
US citizenship is required
M.S. or Ph.D. in materials science, chemistry, cheminformatics, or related discipline with 2+ years relevant experience
Expertise in molecular dynamics simulations of polymers
Strong background in polymer science, especially polymer networks
Knowledge of cheminformatics tools and machine learning tools and methods related to chemistry and materials science
Strong coding skills, preferably Python; ability to write readable code with proper documentation
Ability to handle simultaneous projects and rapidly changing priorities
Ability to communicate effectively with scientists, engineers, and business development experts
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D. in materials science, chemistry, or related discipline
Strong understanding of thermosetting resins
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Pay range: $125,000 - $160,000 per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Cambium offers a highly competitive compensation and benefits plan. This includes excellent medical/dental/vision benefits, and a matching 401(k) plan.