Staff Cell Simulation Engineer-Cell Electrode

<div class="content-intro"><p>Rivian&nbsp;is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.&nbsp;</p> <p>As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.&nbsp;</p></div><p><strong>Responsibilities:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Join the Cell Engineering team, developing next-generation battery technology for Rivian’s electric vehicles.</li> <li>Responsible for overseeing Li-ion battery cell thermo-electrochemical and mechano-electrochemical simulations by optimizing materials and cell design parameters and analyze performance</li> <li>Work with experimental team to tailor the frontier of battery subcomponent (e.g., cathode, anode, separator, and/or electrolyte) and provide the critical design boundary limits</li> <li>Contribute as a cross-functional individual contributor, working with other technical leaders and engineers in battery cell chemistry, materials science, mechanical cell design, cell subcomponent and assembly, and internal/external simulation team to optimize the cell efficiency, cost, and life cycle.</li> <li>Build and parameterize the specific design ranges for the materials and subcomponents. Reduce cell failure modes to suppress power, rate capability, cycle life losses.</li> <li>Analyze the limiting factors for a given cell specification to help approach the most ideal battery performance</li> <li>Formulate accelerated, fast testing protocols (e.g., charging / discharging, C-rates, etc. for electrode design) in collaboration with simulation, pack, and BMS engineers.</li> <li>Provide guidance and directions to simulation and data engineers.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering with the minimum 7+ years of extensive working experience from lithium-ion battery industry (or, in a combination of academia)</li> <li>2D/ 3D mechanical, thermal, electrochemical modeling experience on lithium-ion battery, specifically for HEV, PHEV and EV applications. Experience on optimizing relevant cell development parameters that led to design-freeze and cell validation.</li> <li>Electrochemistry and/or electrochemical engineering expertise to achieve the most optimized specific capacity, power, rate capabilities, cycle life, and cell safety for a given battery dimension and specifications using mathematical and/or physics-based modeling tools such as COMSOL, MATLAB, Mathematical, FLUENT, and/or other widely-used programming languages.</li> <li>Bridging the gap and overcoming the obstacles between materials development, cell device design, and large-scale manufacturing process with simulation. In particular, understanding the design boundary limits with sensitivity analysis for a specific battery subcomponent.</li> <li>Solid grasp of battery literatures and patents from the current state-of-the-art to emerging cell chemistry on cathode/anode active materials, electrolytes, and/or separators.</li> <li>Firm, clear understanding on electrochemistry and mechanical design that affect cell electrical and safety performance.</li> <li>Ability to propose innovative, yet practical battery subcomponent design that can benefit both battery performance and cycle life at a cell level, based on computational simulation results. Internal / external collaborations with other engineers specialized in multiscale modeling, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.</li> <li>Expertise in electrochemistry that includes chemical system, oxidation/reduction chemistry, electric and ionic conduction, and related energy storage devices that can help interpret and summarize a large set of data being generated from electrode and cell design, assembly, and formation processes.</li> <li>Decoupling thermal and non-thermal (materials / electrochemical) degradation modes for a given set of experiments to computationally-understand battery durability and provide mitigation strategy.</li> <li>Determination of limiting factors for fast charging conditions and designing novel fast charge protocols in the aspect of both battery subcomponent and overall cell chemistry design. Help identify early descriptors for governing cycling life at normal and abusive drive cycles.</li> <li>Exposure to working with engineers building a larger format high-capacity, high-energy HEV, PHEV, or EV cell, as well as cell characterization to predict electrical and safety performances.</li> <li>Help mapping the cell test plan and procedures for HPPC, charge/discharge rate test, cycle life, calendar life, and safety test, in discussion with other subcomponent project leaders.</li> <li>Understands the fundamental electrochemical analysis techniques such as CV, EIS, GITT, and/or PITT, materials characterization such as SEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, BET, TGA/DSC, and ICP.</li> <li>Leadership and coordination skills to effectively communicate with a diverse background of cross-functional team members on industry standard electrode processing steps, which include slurry mixing, coating, calendering, and drying in manufacturing scale.</li> <li>Knowledge on Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA) to define risk and carry out root cause analysis, working with DFMEA leader.</li> <li>Reporting to managements with clear goal, objectives, and immediate future direction is expected. Effective communication and presentation skills are highly expected as the subject-matter expert.</li> <li>Critical problem-solving skills: ability to ask the right people, the right questions at the right time in the right way.</li> <li>Detail oriented: ability to become a subject matter expert to make informed decisions</li> <li>Curiosity: demonstrate level of interest that enables inventiveness.</li> <li>Execution: demonstrate that follow through is given as much attention as problem solving.</li> <li>Structured: able to organize chaos thru methodical framework and documentation to achieve goals harmoniously.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p><div class="content-conclusion"><h4>Equal Opportunity</h4> <p>Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.</p> <p>Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Application%20to%20Rivian%20-%20Assistance%20Request">[email protected]</a>.</p> <h4>Privacy</h4> <p>We take your privacy seriously. For details please see our&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://rivian.com/legal/candidate-privacy-notice" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://rivian.com/legal/candidate-privacy-notice" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Candidate Privacy Notice</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.</strong></p></div>