Senior R&D Engineer — Reactor Engineering, Scale-Up & Catalyst Development
Help take a peer-reviewed, patent-protected, customer-validated photocatalytic methane-pyrolysis platform from bench prototype to pre-pilot and onward to the first containerized field skid.
Position Details
Title: Senior R&D Engineer — Reactor Engineering, Scale-Up & Catalyst Development
Compensation: Competitive senior-engineer salary, stock options, health benefits, conference and training budget, and IP-inventor incentives
Start Date: ASAP
About CarbonLume Inc.
CarbonLume is a Canadian deep-tech spin-out from the University of Toronto and incubated through Velocity. Our LED-driven photocatalytic platform converts methane from natural gas or biogas into battery-grade carbon nanotubes and clean turquoise hydrogen at substantially lower temperatures and energy intensity than conventional methane decomposition technologies.
The chemistry has been published in Energy & Environmental Science and EES Catalysis and is protected by US Patent 12,319,580 B2 and two April 2026 provisional patent filings. CarbonLume is currently at TRL 4, targeting a TRL 5 pre-pilot by Q4 2027, a TRL 6 field skid in 2027–2028, and a TRL 7 pre-commercial system by 2029–2030. The company is funded gate-by-gate, with a $2M pre-seed round currently closing.
The Role
We are hiring a senior engineer/scientist to lead the reactor-engineering and catalyst-development workstreams central to our next 18–24 months of scale-up. This is a highly hands-on role working directly with the CEO and technical advisors on reactor design, multiphysics modelling, catalyst formulation, scale-up, and pilot integration. Most of your time will be spent at the reactor, in COMSOL/Aspen/Python, and in the catalyst lab, with limited supervision responsibilities for junior researchers and graduate-student secondees.
Responsibilities
You will lead the mechanical, optical, and process design of bench and pre-pilot photoreactors while conducting multiphysics simulations covering radiation transport, optical absorption, heat and mass transfer, particle tracing, and residence-time distribution. You will oversee reactor BOM sign-off, LED-ring and optics integration, gas-handling skid development, and HAZOP activities at each TRL gate.
You will drive the scale-up from TRL 4 to TRL 5/6 by developing the dimensional-analysis framework that maintains performance across scales, specifying long-lead equipment, and coordinating with fabrication and external engineering partners.
You will also lead catalyst formulation, screening, and testing activities, including supported metal catalyst synthesis, screening-rig development, catalyst aging studies, and down-selection criteria. Operando diagnostics responsibilities include in-situ reactor measurements using thermocouple arrays, online GC, quadrupole-MS, Raman spectroscopy, and IR thermography, alongside post-reaction characterization using XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, and BET to identify deactivation mechanisms and improve catalyst performance.
Candidates with techno-economic and life-cycle modelling experience may also support Aspen Plus flowsheets, GAMS-based TEA modelling, and cradle-to-gate LCAs.
Required Qualifications
Candidates should hold a PhD or MASc in chemical engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline, with research or industrial experience in heterogeneous gas-phase catalysis or reactor engineering. Applicants should have direct hands-on experience designing and scaling gas-phase catalytic reactors, preferably fluidized-bed or annular systems, along with strong multiphysics modelling capabilities using COMSOL or equivalent CFD and heat/mass-transfer tools validated against experimental data.
The ideal candidate will also have catalyst formulation and screening experience involving supported metal catalysts such as Ni, Fe, or Cu, post-reaction characterization expertise across XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, and BET, and a demonstrated ability to fabricate, commission, debug, and deliver hardware systems under tight timelines. Eligibility to work full-time in Canada is required, with sponsorship considered for exceptional candidates.
Strongly Preferred
Experience in methane pyrolysis, photocatalysis, photothermal catalysis, LED-driven photoreactors, carbon nanotube processing, Aspen Plus, GAMS, TEA/LCA modelling, or patent development in catalysis, photoreactor design, or hydrogen technologies would be considered strong assets.
What We Offer
CarbonLume offers a competitive compensation package with equity participation, health benefits, conference and training support, and inventor incentives tied to patent filings. This is a high-impact technical role within a rapidly scaling Canadian climate-tech company, offering direct collaboration with published technical leadership and globally recognized advisors across catalysis, energy systems, and carbon markets.
How to Apply
Please send your CV, a one-page cover letter outlining how you would approach MS-1 (reactor design freeze) and MS-2 (pre-pilot shake-down) during your first 26 weeks, one representative technical artefact, and three references to: [email protected] with the subject line: Senior R&D Engineer — [Your Name]
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Technical questions may be directed to: [email protected]
Equal Opportunity & Accessibility
CarbonLume Inc. is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team reflective of Canada’s research and energy-transition workforce. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process.
Work Location: In person
