Materials Science Research Faculty
Penn State University
State College, PAFull-timePosted 1y agoStill listed today
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Job overview
Penn State Applied Research Laboratory seeks a research scientist with a strong corrosion background for a Research Faculty position in its Materials Science and Applications Division. The role supports Navy, DoD, and intelligence-community engineering and technology needs through materials research. The position is fully on-site in State College, and candidates must be U.S. citizens and able to obtain a government security clearance.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
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CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
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CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
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If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
POSITION SPECIFICS We are seeking a research scientist with a strong background in corrosion for a Research Faculty position within the Materials Science and Applications Division of the Materials, Manufacturing and Sustainment Office at the Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). Penn State ARL’s purpose is to develop innovative solutions to challenging national problems in support of the Navy, DoD, and Intel communities engineering and technology needs.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:
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Lead the development of proposals and statements of work on projects related to cold spray, additive manufacturing, and other materials science related research
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Work alongside experts in materials science, metallurgy, engineering and performance modeling to uncover structure property relationships in a wide range material systems
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Support the Division as a Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PI
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Execute and manage projects including developing test plans, schedules, reports, and presentations and coordinating the completion of analysis and design work related to each project
Non-tenure faculty rank will be commensurate with education level and experience.
Required skills/experience areas include:
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Have 4 years technical experience in hands on experimental corrosion research and electrochemical characterization of alloys
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Experience with materials characterization techniques including Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Powder Particle Size Distribution, and Optical Microscopy
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Past success in the development of proposals, statements of work, test plans, reports, briefs, academic papers, and conference presentations
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Demonstrated ability to work through a difficult problem, using proper steps to define and formulate ideas to reach a solution
Preferred skills/experience areas include:
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Working knowledge of cold spray and additive manufacturing technologies and metal powders
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Working knowledge of computational and analytical corrosion research methods
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Comfortable working in a laboratory environment, performing data collection and troubleshooting
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Success in an office environment, where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective
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Previous success with collaborations in a multi-disciplinary, team-oriented, culture
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Active DoD security clearance
Your working location will be fully on-site located in State College. This position will require periodic travel to meetings, conferences, or to remote locations in support of testing as part of a small team of researchers, engineers, and technologists.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the ARL will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen. BENEFITS Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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How this job compares
Set against the 2,202 open Research Scientist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.
- Pay
- This postingNot listed
- US median$143–220K/yr1,467 salary ranges
- US median$34–43/hr41 hourly ranges
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 48 open Research Scientist jobs in Pennsylvania and 2,202 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Research Scientist postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years at the median (1,143 postings).
- Education
- 1,064 of the 2,202 open Research Scientist jobs (48%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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