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Entry Level Materials Science Engineer Jobs in Illinois

SCOT FORGE

Metallurgical Engineering Co-Op 2027

Spring Grove, IL · On-site

$16 - $19/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Metallurgy or Materials Science Co-op Scot Forge Company has an opportunity for you to join their ... engineering program. * Students currently enrolled in a Graduate level program are strongly ...

Owens Corning

Testing and Prototyping Engineer

West Chicago, IL · On-site

$66K - $79K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline. * Ability to work hands on in a laboratory, test ...

Owens Corning

Testing and Prototyping Engineer

West Chicago, IL · On-site

$66K - $79K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline. * Ability to work hands on in a laboratory, test ...

EFK Moen

Entry-Level Civil Engineer - Transportation

Chicago, IL · On-site

$80K - $100K/yr

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

Entry-Level Civil Engineer - Transportation | www.efkmoen.comJoin a dynamic team shaping the future ... Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited college/university requiredEIT ...

EFK Moen

Entry-Level Civil Engineer - Transportation

Chicago, IL · On-site

$80K - $100K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Entry-Level Civil Engineer - Transportation | Join a dynamic team shaping the future of ... Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited college/university required

Parallel Works, Inc.

Senior HPC Applications Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$140 - $210/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... and materials science, energy, and AI research. A quarter here can include standing up a GPU ... We are a small engineering company, so engineers here work directly with the people using the ...

Parallel Works

Senior HPC Applications Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... and materials science, energy, and AI research. A quarter here can include standing up a GPU ... We are a small engineering company, so engineers here work directly with the people using the ...

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All JobsMaterials Science Engineer JobsEntry Level Materials Science Engineer JobsEntry Level Materials Science Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Entry Level Materials Science Engineer information

What is the difference between Entry Level Materials Science Engineer vs Entry Level Mechanical Engineer?

AspectEntry Level Materials Science EngineerEntry Level Mechanical Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Materials Science or related fieldBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering or related field
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, manufacturing, materials testingDesign, testing, manufacturing, and product development
Industry UsageMaterials development, quality control, failure analysisProduct design, systems, and mechanical components

Entry Level Materials Science Engineers focus on materials properties, testing, and development, often working in labs or manufacturing settings. In contrast, Entry Level Mechanical Engineers work on designing and testing mechanical systems and products. While both roles require engineering degrees, their daily tasks and industry applications differ significantly.

What types of projects and daily tasks can I expect as an entry level materials science engineer?

As an Entry Level Materials Science Engineer, you will typically work on supporting senior engineers in research, testing, and analysis of materials used in products or processes. Your daily tasks may include preparing and conducting laboratory experiments, collecting and analyzing data, documenting results, and assisting in troubleshooting material-related issues. You’ll often collaborate with cross-functional teams such as design, manufacturing, and quality assurance, gaining exposure to different stages of product development. This role offers valuable hands-on experience and learning opportunities that can pave the way for specialization or advancement within the field.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level materials science engineer?

To thrive as an Entry Level Materials Science Engineer, you need a solid understanding of material properties, mechanics, and chemistry, typically backed by a bachelor’s degree in materials science or a related engineering field. Familiarity with lab equipment, materials characterization tools (like SEM, XRD), and engineering software such as MATLAB or SolidWorks is often required. Strong analytical thinking, teamwork, and effective communication skills help you stand out in collaborative and interdisciplinary environments. These abilities are vital for accurately analyzing materials, solving engineering challenges, and contributing effectively to product development or research projects.

What does an entry level materials science engineer do?

An Entry Level Materials Science Engineer typically assists in researching, developing, and testing materials to improve their performance, durability, and efficiency for various applications. They work under the supervision of senior engineers to analyze material properties, conduct experiments, and prepare technical reports. Their responsibilities often include working with metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, as well as collaborating with other engineering teams to solve material-related challenges in manufacturing or product development.

What are the most commonly searched types of Materials Science Engineer jobs in Illinois?

The most popular types of Materials Science Engineer jobs in Illinois are:

What cities in Illinois are hiring for Entry Level Materials Science Engineer jobs?

Cities in Illinois with the most Entry Level Materials Science Engineer job openings:

Entry Level Materials Science Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Materials Science Engineer job openings in Illinois as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 54% Full Time, 31% Part Time, and 15% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Postdoctoral Appointee - Materials Informatics and Autonomous Synthesis

Argonne National Laboratory

Lemont, IL • On-site

$72K - $121K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 24 days ago

Job description

The Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at Argonne National Laboratory invites applications for a postdoctoral research position focused on developing AI/ML methods for autonomous materials discovery and synthesis.
We are seeking a creative and collaborative researcher who is excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of autonomous synthesis and self-driving laboratories. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of data science, machine learning, materials research, and experiment, and who is motivated to translate computational advances into real laboratory workflows.
The position will focus on building the data resources, predictive models, and closed-loop decision frameworks needed to accelerate experimentation and advance next-generation autonomous laboratories. The broader goal is to enable AI-driven materials discovery, autonomous synthesis, and the development of high-quality, reusable datasets that support adaptive experimentation and long-term scientific impact.
This research may include applications in areas such as organic electrochemical and neuromorphic devices, but the central emphasis is on creating data-driven methods and infrastructure that can guide experiments, improve efficiency, and strengthen collaboration between computation and experiment.
Key Responsibilities
  • Develop machine learning-ready data resources for materials by integrating literature, in-house, and newly generated experimental data
  • Build surrogate and predictive models that connect composition, molecular structure, synthesis and processing conditions, morphology, and device-relevant properties
  • Design active learning, Bayesian optimization, uncertainty-aware modeling, and other adaptive experimental design workflows to guide experiments and improve data efficiency in autonomous platforms such as the Polybot
  • Work closely with experimental researchers to integrate AI/ML workflows into closed-loop autonomous synthesis, fabrication, and characterization; translate model predictions into experimental campaigns; and update models using newly acquired data
  • Contribute to strategies for generating diverse, high-value datasets, identifying meaningful descriptors and representations, and building reproducible computational pipelines, workflow automation, and data infrastructure that support long-term autonomous laboratory capabilities
  • Share research outcomes through publications, presentations, software, datasets, and internal reports

Position Requirements
  • Recent or soon-to-be-completed PhD (within the last 0-5 years) in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, polymer science, physics, computer science, and/or data science
  • Demonstrated accomplishments in materials informatics, scientific machine learning, or AI-guided experimental design
  • Strong Python and scientific computing skills, including experience with tools such as NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, and machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar
  • Experience developing surrogate models, predictive models, or adaptive learning workflows for scientific or engineering applications
  • Strong interest in working closely with experimental researchers in a laboratory-centered environment
  • Evidence of independent research productivity through publications, software, datasets, or similar outputs
  • Excellent communication skills, the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams
  • Ability to model Argonne's core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with active learning, Bayesian optimization, adaptive experimental design, reinforcement learning for experiments, or uncertainty quantification
  • Experience with autonomous, self-driving, or robotic laboratory platforms
  • Background in electronic polymers, conjugated polymers, organic semiconductors, soft materials, electrochemical materials, or related functional materials
  • Experience integrating literature, experimental, and simulation datasets into unified, machine learning-ready workflows
  • Familiarity with cheminformatics or polymer informatics, molecular representations, descriptor engineering, RDKit, characterization-informed modeling, multimodal data fusion, interpretable machine learning, NLP, text mining, or automated extraction of materials data from the literature
  • Experience with workflow automation, data infrastructure, database development, reproducible research pipelines, and collaborative environments that span computation, data science, and experiment

Application Materials
  • Updated CV/Resume
  • Unofficial Ph.D. transcripts
  • If already awarded, a copy of the Ph.D. diploma

Job Family
Postdoctoral
Job Profile
Postdoctoral Appointee
Worker Type
Long-Term (Fixed Term)
Time Type
Full time
The expected hiring range for this position is $72,879.00-$121,465.00.
Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.
Click here to view Argonne employee benefits!
As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.
Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department.
All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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