Isola Group Hiring! Full Time Senior Chemist in - Ricebowl

THE ROLE

We are seeking a R&D Chemist (Reliability-Focused) to lead the development, optimization, and technical direction of advanced polymer, composite, and hybrid material systems used in high‑reliability, microelectronics‑related applications.

This is a technical role for a chemist with deep formulation expertise and a strong understanding of material reliability, failure mechanisms, and long‑term performance under combined stresses. The successful candidate will own formulation strategy within their technical domain, make independent technical decisions, and drive materials solutions from concept through robust, manufacturable implementation.

The role requires fluency across multiple resin platforms, hybrid systems, and ceramic or inorganic filler technologies, combined with a failure‑aware, reliability‑driven mindset. This individual will act as a technical authority and reference point for materials behavior, formulation trade‑offs, and reliability risk.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Formulation Leadership with Reliability Ownership

•Lead the design, development, and optimization of polymer based and hybrid material formulations with explicit accountability for:

• Long term stability under thermal, mechanical, electrical, and environmental cycling
• Resistance to degradation mechanisms relevant to microelectronics and high reliability systems
• Robust performance across multiple, interacting stress vectors

•Define formulation strategy across multiple resin families, selecting and balancing chemistries based on reliability risk, performance margin, and manufacturing robustness.

•Independently determine experimental approaches, formulation trade offs, and development priorities.

Hybrid and Filled Material System Strategy

•Own technical direction for the development of formulations incorporating:

• Ceramic and inorganic fillers
• Functional particulates, modifiers, and reinforcements

•Establish clear structure–property–reliability relationships related to:

• Filler selection and surface chemistry
• Loading levels and dispersion quality
• Stress distribution, damage tolerance, and failure initiation

• Make formulation decisions with accountability for downstream reliability performance.

Failure Aware Material Development

•Drive materials evaluation beyond “meets specification” criteria by:

• Identifying early indicators of degradation and reliability risk
• Assessing sensitivity to process variation and use condition extremes

•Apply formulation levers to mitigate key failure drivers, including:

• Thermal fatigue and CTE mismatch effects
• Interfacial delamination and adhesion loss
• Long term chemical, mechanical, or structural instability

•Translate failure analysis insights into proactive materials design improvements.

Scale Up, Process Robustness, and Manufacturability

•Lead hands on formulation, blending, and materials development at laboratory and pilot scale.

•Ensure formulation concepts translate into process robust, reproducible material systems suitable for manufacturing.

•Anticipate and manage the impact of formulation decisions on:

• Process windows
• Manufacturing consistency
• Field reliability and performance margins

Cross Functional Technical Leadership

•Act as a technical authority working closely with:

• Process and design engineers
• Reliability and failure analysis teams
• Manufacturing and operations stakeholders

•Drive material troubleshooting and optimization based on real application behavior and field performance, not laboratory metrics alone.

•Lead benchmarking and competitive evaluations focused on durability, reliability margin, and long term robustness, informing technical and strategic decisions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

•Master’s degree/ PhD Degree in:

• Organic Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science

•Academic focus must be complemented by strong practical formulation experience.

Experience

•5–10+ years of industrial experience leading formulation centric materials development in one or more of the following:

• Microelectronics or electronic materials
• Reliability driven materials development
• Advanced polymers, composites, or hybrid material systems

•Demonstrated experience owning formulation development and technical decisions, rather than executing directed tasks.

Prior exposure to:

• Failure analysis
• Reliability testing methodologies
• Degradation or lifetime studies is strongly preferred.

•Experience contributing as a technical contributor or subject matter expert across projects or platforms is highly desirable.