Research Engineer - Carbon Development

Company / Location Information

A.O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees at operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Primary Function

As the Research Engineer, Carbon Development, you will support the development of next-generation carbon-based adsorption materials and manufacturing processes for water treatment applications. This role may emphasize either carbon adsorption science or carbon process engineering, depending on the candidate’s experience and business needs. You will connect carbon material characteristics—such as pore structure, surface chemistry, adsorption capacity, and kinetics—to water treatment performance, while also helping define, optimize, and scale processes that consistently produce carbon materials meeting technical, cost, energy, and quality targets.

Responsibilities

• Develop carbon-based adsorption materials and process conditions for differentiated contaminant removal in water treatment applications.
• Translate adsorption performance requirements into carbon material specifications.
• Evaluate carbon sources, precursors, activation methods, and post-treatments to meet product requirements.
• Plan and conduct bench- and pilot-scale experiments linking materials, processing, carbon properties, and treatment performance.
• Optimize and document process parameters to improve cost, yield, energy efficiency, quality, and manufacturability.
• Coordinate with internal labs, suppliers, universities, and external partners to characterize materials and assess emerging technologies.
• Support pilot plant planning and operation, including run plans, operating limits, sampling, safety, and data collection.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and business teams to transition technologies into products.
• Support compliance, standards, and certification activities for applicable performance, safety, and agency requirements.

Qualifications

• MS in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 3 years of related experience in carbon materials, adsorption media, water treatment technology, chemical process development, or pilot-scale process engineering.
• Experience connecting material properties, process conditions, or formulation variables to product performance.
• Experience with carbon characterization methods.
• Working knowledge of adsorption, activated carbon, porous materials, liquid-phase contaminant removal, or thermal/chemical processing of carbon materials.
• Ability to design experiments, analyze technical data, document results, and communicate recommendations to technical and cross-functional audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage technical projects, coordinate external partners or suppliers, and work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Open to domestic and international travel as needed.

Preferred Experience/Qualifications:

• PhD degree preferred in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience developing or modifying activated carbon, biochar, resin, mineral, or other adsorption media for water treatment applications.
• Experience with adsorption testing and performance modeling.
• Experience with carbon processing methods such as carbonization, activation, thermal treatment, chemical treatment, washing, drying, sizing, blending, or pelletizing.
• Experience with pilot-scale equipment, process optimization, design of experiments, process safety, scale-up, or technology transfer to manufacturing.
• Experience with water treatment filters, filtration systems, NSF/WQA standards, regulatory requirements, or product certification testing.

We Offer

Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance.

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ADA Statement & EEO Statement

In developing this job description care was taken to include all competencies needed to successfully perform in this position. However, for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) purposes, the essential functions of the job may or may not have been described for purposes of ADA reasonable accommodation. All reasonable accommodation requests will be reviewed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.