Experimental Design Specialist (Organic Chemistry)
1. About Us
NanoFrontier is a research-driven startup built around a proprietary nanoparticle generation technology developed over many years at Tohoku University. We provide end-to-end, in-house capabilities—from material design to mass production and quality assurance—for materials used in energy, environmental, pharmaceutical, and other fields. We also offer contract manufacturing of nanoparticles and technology licensing, and are rapidly advancing joint research and PoC projects with manufacturers and academic institutions from Sendai (main base) and Tokyo (collaboration base).
2. Role & Responsibilities
Across both our in-house R&D and client projects, you will design experiments to solve technical challenges and drive them through to proof of concept. This is a role with real discretion over the full R&D cycle: literature research, experimental planning, experiments primarily in liquid-phase systems, results analysis, and scale-up. In our in-house R&D, you will investigate and evaluate the seed technologies the company is working on. In client projects, you will clarify the customer’s requirements and technical challenges, translate them into experiments that can actually be run and verified, report the results to the customer in a clear and accessible way, and provide feedback on next steps and outlook.
What You’ll Gain
- Bring outstanding university-born technology into real-world use at startup speed
- Be involved end-to-end, from literature research and experiment design through verification and scale-up
- Experience both R&D on our own technology and customer-driven client projects
- Work with real discretion on product and technology development intended for commercialization
- Through our joint research institute with Tohoku University, build a career spanning academia and industry—including the possibility of a position at Tohoku University
3. Key Responsibilities
In-house R&D
- Literature research covering papers, patents, and other sources
- Design experiments aligned with each R&D theme
- Plan and conduct synthesis and evaluation experiments, primarily in liquid-phase systems
- Analyze and interpret results and feed them into the next round of experimental planning
- Carry out lab-scale verification and explore scale-up
Client Projects
- Interview customers on their requirements and technical challenges, and organize them into clear requirements
- Design and verify experimental approaches that lead to solving those challenges
- Investigate nanoparticle generation and dispersion liquids
- Select the necessary reagents and laboratory equipment and incorporate them into the experimental process
- Analyze results, provide technical explanations, and deliver reports and feedback to customers
Shared Responsibilities
- Operate various measurement and analytical instruments and record data
- Create and update lab notebooks, protocols, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- Communicate on technical matters with the research team and internal and external stakeholders
4. Requirements, Skills & Experience
Required
- Master’s degree or higher in chemistry, applied chemistry, or materials science, or equivalent expertise and practical experience
- Experience researching and understanding the literature (papers, etc.) and independently planning and designing experiments (in industry or academia)
- Fundamental ability to carry out liquid-phase experiments safely and accurately
- Ability to organize and analyze experimental results and set the direction for the next round of verification
- Communication skills to explain technical content clearly to internal and external stakeholders
- Japanese language ability sufficient to handle technical meetings with customers
Preferred
- PhD, or research experience in a doctoral program
- Knowledge of or research experience in nanoparticles and nanoparticle dispersion
- Extensive experience with liquid-phase synthesis and evaluation experiments
- Experience in particle size evaluation using measurement instruments
- Experience designing, procuring, assembling, and operating custom-built experimental apparatus
- Experience scaling up from lab scale
- Experience setting your own research theme and carrying it through from planning and design to delivering results
What We’re Looking For
- Someone who can form hypotheses based on the literature and experimental results and drive verification proactively
- Someone who enjoys a highly uncertain R&D environment and keeps iterating through trial and error
- Someone who can reframe customer requests as technical challenges rather than taking them at face value
- Someone who communicates sincerely with the research team and customers and takes ownership of outcomes
5. Location & Work Style
- Location: Sendai (4 days per week in office recommended)
- Employment type: Full-time employee / Contract employee / Independent contractor (negotiable)
- Work style: 4 days per week in office recommended
- Work hours: Discretionary labor system
6. Benefits & Welfare
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Holidays & Leave | ・Complete 5-day workweek ・Annual paid leave ・Year-end and New Year holidays |
| Insurance | Complete social insurance coverage |
| Housing | Company-leased housing system available |
| PC & IT Tools | PC provided. ChatGPT usage covered by the company. Other necessary IT tools available through consultation and application |
| Career Development | Support for qualifications, technical books, exam costs, etc. |
| Grant Incentives | Incentive design for grant acquisition |
| Relocation Support | For relocation from Tokyo to Sendai: Up to 1 million yen relocation bonus through the Sendai City relocation support program For relocation from other regions: Under consideration |
7. Selection Process
- Casual interview: 30–60 minutes
- Interview: 30–60 minutes
- Offer interview & final decision
※ Results for each step of the selection process will be provided within 3 business days as a rule. Steps may be omitted depending on the candidate’s circumstances.
8. Company Information
- Company Name:
- NanoFrontier Inc. (Headquarters: Room 215, Material Solutions Center (MaSC), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Corporate Philosophy:
- “Toward a society where all resources circulate smoothly and are utilized in optimal forms”
- Business Areas:
(1) Research, development, manufacturing, and sales of reagents and functional materials using organic nanoparticle technology
(2) Contract manufacturing of organic nanoparticles and provision of related technologies
(3) Technology licensing and technical consulting in the field of organic nanoparticle technology
(4) All businesses incidental to the above
9. How to Apply
Please prepare the following documents and apply through the application form below.
- Resume (with photo)
- CV / work history
- Portfolio or list of research achievements (optional)