Applied Physics Lab Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

VVater is America's Next Water Company, delivering the future of purification through its award-winning Farady Reactor (CES Best of Innovation 2025, World Future Award 2025, Time Best Invention Award 2025), proprietary ALTEP (Advanced Low Tension Electroporation Process), Advanced Dissolved Air Flotation, and Micro & Nano Bubble technologies. Unlike outdated chemical, filter, and membrane systems, VVater's electric-field breakthroughs eliminate PFAS, microplastics, microorganisms, and other contaminants with record retention times, without toxic byproducts or costly consumables.
With over 4.3B gallons treated and validation from global leaders, VVater is scaling into municipal drinking water and wastewater, DPR/IPR, onsite reuse for data centers, commercial buildings, and resorts, residential purification, and consumer health water, delivering a 60% smaller footprint, 40% CapEx savings, 80% OpEx savings, and 40% less energy use.

Job Description:

VVater is seeking a visionary Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead its global engineering and technology strategy, overseeing advanced R&D, mechanical and electrical systems design, and the continued evolution of VVater's proprietary Farady Reactor, ALTEP, and ADAF platforms. The CTO will serve as the custodian of VVater's scientific integrity, ensuring the company remains the benchmark for sustainable, physics-based, electrochemical water purification and next-generation hybrid AOP/ARP systems.

This role requires a rare combination of deep technical mastery, strategic leadership, and entrepreneurial agility, someone capable of leading interdisciplinary teams spanning mechanical, electrical, civil, environmental, and quantum engineering, while translating fundamental science into scalable, manufacturable products.
This role also demands a uniquely qualified leader, part engineer, part scientist, part builder, who combines deep expertise in mechanical and electrical systems, applied physics, and electrochemistry with hands-on experience running a world-class research institute and scaling breakthrough technologies from prototype to production.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute VVater's long-term technology vision across hardware, electrochemical systems, AI-based automation, and process optimization.
• Lead the roadmap for the Farady Reactor, Advanced Low-Tension Electroporation (ALTEP), Sonoporation Synergy, and Advanced Dissolved Air Flotation (ADAF) systems, from lab validation to field deployment.
  
• Direct all aspects of R&D, mechanical and electrical engineering, system integration, and pilot validation, ensuring alignment with regulatory pathways and commercialization timelines.
  
• Drive innovation in advanced oxidation/reduction processes (AOP/ARP), AC-based electrochemistry, and quantum-classical process engineering to maintain VVater's technological leadership
  
• Serve as the principal scientific authority in all partnerships, patents, and technical validations with regulators, academic institutions, and industrial clients.
  
• Oversee the full product lifecycle, from concept design and simulation (CAD/FEA) through mechanical fabrication, prototyping, and field commissioning.
• Partner with the CEO and executive team to align technology milestones with business growth, regulatory validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
• Guide the engineering team through development of modular, scalable reactor architectures (both stationary and mobile configurations) and high-efficiency AC electrochemical systems.
  
• Ensure robust engineering standards for electrical safety, power management, materials science, and fluid dynamics, tailored to VVater's hybrid systems.
  
• Champion the integration of IoT sensors, SCADA automation, and AI-driven optimization for adaptive process control.
  
• Translate complex scientific phenomena, such as radical kinetics and field symmetry mechanics, into practical and scalable engineering solutions.
  
• Maintain stewardship of VVater's intellectual property, ensuring all technological advances are properly protected and aligned with global patent strategy.
• Lead collaborations with national laboratories, universities, and regulatory bodies (EPA, TCEQ, WHO, NSF) to validate VVater's novel electrochemical and quantum-enhanced water treatment mechanisms.
  
• Direct all research programs within the VVater Research Institute (VRI), a fully equipped BLP Level 2 laboratory dedicated to fundamental and applied water science.
  - Manage VRI's technical teams across disciplines, mechanical, electrical, chemical, environmental, and physics research, ensuring effective cross-functional collaboration and scientific rigor.
  - Oversee the operation and maintenance of high-end analytical and diagnostic instrumentation (SEM, ICP-MS, TOC analyzers, UV-Vis spectroscopy, particle sizers, microfluidic systems, and electrochemical workstations).
• Direct applied physics and chemistry research in areas such as electrode materials, radical generation efficiency, sonoporation resonance, and energy reduction optimization.
  
• Evaluate emerging technologies (nanomaterials, plasma catalysis, AI modeling) for potential integration into VVater's technology stack.
  
• Spearhead technical publications, white papers, and standards committee participation to cement VVater's role as an industry thought leader.
  
• Build, mentor, and inspire a world-class multidisciplinary engineering division, including R&D scientists, mechanical/electrical engineers, and field technologists.
• Establish a culture of scientific rigor, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration aligned with VVater's mission 'Clean Water for All Humankind' and 'America's Next Water Company'
  
• Partner with the CEO, COO, and Board of Directors to translate R&D outcomes into commercial readiness and investor confidence.
  
• Ensure regulatory compliance, safety, and environmental sustainability in all engineering and testing programs.
  
• Perform all other duties as instructed by the company

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or Applied Physics (Ph.D. strongly preferred).
• 12+ years of progressive experience in water technology, electrochemical engineering, or advanced hardware systems.
  
• Proven leadership of cross-functional engineering teams in high-growth DeepTech or industrial technology companies.
  
• Hands-on experience with AOP/ARP systems, plasma chemistry, electroporation, and hybrid AC/DC electrochemical systems.
  
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks governing water reuse, potable water, and advanced treatment validation (EPA, NSF, ISO, TCEQ).
  
• Demonstrated experience in prototype development, pilot deployment, and scale-up of hardware systems.
  
• Deep expertise in electrical engineering (AC waveform design, field control, power electronics), mechanical design (fluid systems, modular architectures), and chemical kinetics.
• Proficient in CAD, FEA, CFD modeling, and system simulation for electrochemical reactors.
  
• Strong grounding in quantum-informed process control and physics-based system design.
  
• Knowledge of AI/ML integration for water treatment optimization preferred.
  
• Exceptional communicator, capable of bridging scientific depth with investor and partner understanding.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and the ability to balance innovation with practical execution.
  
• Collaborative, mission-driven leader who thrives in high-velocity environments.
  **As a part of our process to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of all applicants, assessment tests are required as part of our recruitment process. Unfortunately, should you elect not to participate in completing the assessment tests, your application will not be able to progress to the next stage or will not be taken into consideration during evaluation.