UDRI is a national leader in scientific and engineering research, serving government, industry and nonprofit customers. UDRI contributes to the fulfillment of the University’s commitments to education, research and public service through the involvement of students, faculty and external partners. Established as the research arm of the University of Dayton in 1956, UDRI achieved $2.75 billion in cumulative sponsored research in 2020. Sponsored research for 2022 alone exceeded $220 million. Join our team as a Researcher!

This position is for an on-site engineer working at the Polymers and Specialty Materials Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The position will support the technical areas of aerospace specialty coatings, sealants, composite and hybrid materials. The hired individual shall have an understanding of polymeric materials and processes, as well as standardized tests to evaluate physical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of polymeric materials. This person will be responsible for interacting with government engineers, designing experiments, executing technical programs, delegating project duties, and providing results of technical programs via written reports and oral presentations.

Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Engineering, Materials Engineering, or equivalent and at least 3 years of experience working with aerospace polymers or composites. As a general rule, work experience gained during a Ph.D. program counts as a maximum of two years (at half time) of directly related work experience.
• Due to the nature of this position, U.S. Citizenship is required.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET security clearance with access to Special Access Programs (SAP) will be required for continued employment in this position.
• Proven history of designing experiments to characterize material properties. Properties of interest include physical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.
• Proven history of authoring technical reports, journal articles, or papers for conference proceedings and presenting technical work at meetings, conferences, or symposia.
• Candidate must possess excellent organizational skills and have a proven history of working on multiple technical projects simultaneously.
• Effective written communication skills.
• Candidate must be proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point.

Preferred Qualifications

While not everyone may possess all of the preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

• Completed Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Science (ScD), or Master of Science (MS) Degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Engineering, Materials Engineering, or equivalent discipline.
• Knowledge of standardized test methods used to characterize aerospace polymers, composites, adhesives, coatings, elastomeric, and/or specialty materials.
• Successful history performing polymer thermal analysis tests such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and/or thermal mechanical analysis (TMA).
• Experienced working with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS).
• Experienced performing durability and environmental conditioning to materials.
• History of performing tests to determine mechanical properties of materials.
• Excellent oral communication skills and the ability to successfully interact with a variety of personality types.

Special Instructions to Applicants
 

To apply please submit a cover letter addressing each minimum qualification and any applicable preferred qualifications that you meet.

A federal court on December 7, 2021, issued a ruling that suspends the COVID-19 vaccine requirement that applies to federal contractors nationwide. With this development, the University will pause any enforcement action against employees who have not complied with the requirement to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021 or to have requested an exemption to maintain their employment status.

The University will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic on campus and in the community as well as developments in federal and state requirements, and also will continue to regularly consult with public health officials and our medical panel. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, our protocols and requirements are subject to change depending on conditions on campus or in our community, and government requirements.


Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity, achieve equitable outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, we will not discriminate against minorities, women, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, or on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.