Principal R&D Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The R&D Lab Technician runs the bench-level experiments behind SUPERWOOD — a molecularly densified wood material. It's a hands-on technical role at a DOE-backed climate-materials company: you'll execute test protocols exactly as written, run the long repetitive test series that generate our most important data, and keep records clean enough that a result from three months or three years ago still holds up under scrutiny.

We're looking for someone methodical. A great deal of whether InventWood succeeds comes down to whether hundreds of nominally identical specimens were prepared, conditioned, and measured the same way — and whether the resulting dataset can be trusted. That work rewards patience, precision, and good record-keeping more than improvisation. This is a high-intensity, build-the-company environment; if you find real satisfaction in a well-run test series and a dataset with no gaps, this role is built for you.

• Executes test protocols and SOPs exactly as written — mechanical testing, water soak and moisture measurement, accelerated weathering, dimensional and density measurement, and related characterization — across large specimen sets.
• Prepares and conditions specimens: cuts to size, labels, conditions, and tracks hundreds of samples at a time without ever losing track of which is which.
• Records data rigorously — enters results into structured spreadsheets and the electronic lab notebook with units, conditions, timestamps, and instrument settings captured, so anyone can reproduce exactly what was done.
• Builds and maintains the spreadsheets the team runs on — organizes raw data, applies formulas, produces summary tables and basic charts, and flags outliers or suspect values rather than quietly averaging them away.
• Operates, calibrates, and maintains lab instruments — universal test frames, moisture meters, balances, ovens, environmental chambers, calipers and micrometers — including routine calibration checks and upkeep.
• Notices when something is off — a drifting instrument, a specimen that doesn't match its label, a trend that contradicts the last run — and raises it before it contaminates a dataset.
• Maintains sample traceability and inventory: labels and photographs samples, keeps storage orderly and searchable, and retires samples on a defined schedule.
• Supports quality control and failure analysis, including preparing and documenting failed material for review with the R&D team.
• Keeps the lab organized, stocked, and running: cleaning, consumables ordering and procurement, and equipment and work logs.
• Follows all safety policies, standards, and regulations; upholds and promotes company Core Values and culture; takes on special projects as directed by your manager; and maintains strict confidentiality.

• An associate's degree or technical certification in a science or engineering-technology field; a BS in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical or Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent hands-on lab experience. 2+ years in a lab, testing, or QC environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to run long, repetitive test series without quality drift — the two-hundredth specimen measured the same way as the first, on the last afternoon of the run as carefully as the first morning.
• Meticulous attention to detail and clean, complete records: notebooks and data files that someone else can pick up a month later and use without having to ask you a single question.
• Working proficiency in Excel — structured data entry, formulas (lookups, IF, basic statistical functions), sorting and filtering, pivot tables, and basic charting. Able to build a workbook that stays usable as it grows to thousands of rows.
• Comfortable operating and maintaining lab instruments and following calibration and measurement procedures precisely, including reading and applying test standards.
• Methodical and patient, with the judgment to stop and ask rather than improvise when a procedure doesn't fit what's actually in front of you.
• Highly organized: manages many concurrent sample sets, labels and stores them traceably, and keeps multiple deadlines straight under pressure.
• Team-oriented — brings energy, gets excited about building the company, and lifts the team, with strong emotional intelligence and humility.
• Fluent in English; able to work onsite 5 days a week in Frederick, MD, including evenings and weekends as deadlines require.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50–75% of the time, with prolonged periods standing at a lab table or operating equipment.
• Must be able to lift 10 lbs.