R&D Engineer
(Two Positions Open)

R&D Engineer (Two Positions Open)

Classification: Salary exempt

Reports to: Principal Technology Development Engineer

 

About Air Energy, Inc.

Air Energy is an energy storage platform company developing solid-state lithium-air batteries to deliver transformational improvements in energy density, safety, and mission capability for aerial and autonomous platforms and back-up AI power resilience systems.
We were founded on a simple conviction: the limits of electric flight, autonomy, and resilient power aren't set by physics — they're set by batteries. Lithium-ion technology is nearing its ceiling, and incremental gains can no longer unlock the step-change performance required for long-range drones, electric aviation, and mission-critical power systems operating far from the grid. Air Energy exists to break through that ceiling.

 

Born from a breakthrough in solid-state lithium-air science, we're pioneering a new class of batteries designed to deliver nearly 4x the energy density of today's best lithium-ion cells, while improving safety, sustainability, and system-level resilience. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen internally, our architecture dramatically reduces inactive mass — enabling lighter platforms, longer endurance, and entirely new mission profiles. This is a platform shift: it will unlock capabilities such as multi-day autonomous maritime surveillance, long-range cargo drones, persistent aerial communications, electric regional aviation, and resilient backup power for critical infrastructure and AI data centers.

 

We are execution-driven, moving from validated science to real-world cells, pilot manufacturing, and full-system integration in partnership with government and commercial leaders. Air Energy is a Public Benefit Corporation because our mission goes beyond performance metrics and financial returns — we're building foundational energy technology to catalyze energy resilience and independence at scale. For more information, visit airenergy.io.

 

Purpose of the Role

We are hiring R&D Engineers to scale Air Energy's solid-state lithium-air cell chemistry. Candidates will have experience in lithium metal anode, solid-state electrolyte, and/or metal-air cathode chemistry. You'll work hands-on to develop next-generation cell chemistries while collaborating closely with other workstreams to enable product integration.

 

Core Responsibilities

• Design, build, and test electrochemical cells (coin, pouch, or custom air-breathing formats) to evaluate your material system's performance

• Run and interpret electrochemical testing—galvanostatic cycling, rate capability, EIS, critical current density—to connect data to mechanism

• Iterate on materials, formulations, or interfaces based on test results and failure-analysis findings

• Document experiments rigorously and contribute to the team's growing IP portfolio

• Collaborate across the anode, SSE, and cathode workstreams on full-cell integration, and with process and prototyping engineering on manufacturability

• Handle lithium metal and other air/moisture-sensitive materials safely in glovebox and dry-room environments

• Support qualification of new cell materials through benchmarking and characterization

• Additional tasks specific to cell components may be expected, such as:

 

Lithium Metal Anode

• Investigate Li plating/stripping efficiency, Coulombic efficiency, and dendrite/void formation vs. current density, stack pressure, and interfacial chemistry

• Develop and evaluate anode protection layers, current collector designs, and interlayers to improve cycle life and safety

• Optimize the anode/solid-electrolyte interface for stability and low interfacial resistance

 

Solid-State Electrolyte

• Synthesize, formulate, and process solid/composite electrolyte materials; evaluate ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability window, and mechanical properties

• Develop membrane or thin-film fabrication methods suitable for lab-scale testing and eventual pilot-line processing

 

Metal-Air Cathode

• Design, fabricate, and test porous air/oxygen cathode structures—catalyst selection and loading, gas-diffusion architecture, and pore-structure optimization

• Investigate oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) electrochemistry

• Evaluate cathode performance across cycling, rate, and gas-composition conditions (O2 partial pressure, humidity, CO2 exposure)

 

Note: This position supports U.S. Government–funded research programs. Applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) or be eligible for any required U.S. Government authorization before starting work.

 

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

Success in this role will be measured by:

​

• Cell build-and-test cycles (coin, pouch, or custom formats) completed on schedule, with results that clearly connect data to mechanism

• Electrochemical testing (galvanostatic cycling, rate capability, EIS, critical current density) executed and interpreted to inform materials and interface decisions

• Measurable improvement in target cell metrics—Coulombic efficiency, cycle life, interfacial resistance, ionic conductivity, or ORR/OER performance—attributable to your iterations

• Rigorous, IP-ready documentation of experiments that contributes directly to the team's growing patent portfolio

• Cross-workstream integration milestones met in collaboration with anode, solid-state electrolyte, cathode, and process/prototyping engineering

• Clear, mechanism-based failure analysis delivered when materials or formulations underperform, informing the next iteration

• Zero safety incidents handling reactive, air/moisture-sensitive materials in glovebox and dry-room environments

Compensation

The target base salary range for this position is $110,000–$130,000, with placement within the range based on experience, qualifications, and level at hire. Compensation may also include equity participation and performance-based incentives, in addition to the benefits summarized below.