Research Scientist - Surface Treatment

About Manastu Space Manastu Space is a Space Safety and Logistics company focused on making space safe, sustainable, and accessible. We develop technologies to address critical challenges such as space debris mitigation and green propulsion, enabling safer satellite operations, and long-term sustainability of the space ecosystem. Our work sits at the intersection of advanced engineering, applied research, and mission-critical systems, requiring deep technical capability and long-term thinking.

Website: https://www.manastuspace.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manastu-space/ Email: careers@manastuspace.com Role Objective

• Lead scientific research and experimental development on metallic and non-metallic materials to improve material compatibility with hydrogen peroxide–based propellants.
• This role will focus on understanding, developing, executing, and optimizing surface treatment and passivation processes on metallic materials to enhance corrosion resistance, chemical stability, and material performance in demanding aerospace propulsion environments.

Role Overview

• We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Scientist / Materials Scientist with strong expertise in surface treatment chemistry, corrosion science, and materials compatibility. The ideal candidate will have deep technical knowledge of chemical passivation, electropolishing, oxide layer engineering, and surface modification processes for metallic materials such as stainless steels, aluminium alloys, and other high-performance engineering materials.
• This is a hands-on R&D role involving experimental design, process development, materials evaluation, failure analysis, and technical problem-solving to support aerospace propulsion applications.
• The role demands a strong foundation in surface chemistry of materials, electrochemistry, corrosion mechanisms, reaction chemistry, and surface characterization, along with familiarity with relevant ASTM, AMS, and MIL specifications.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute fundamental and applied research on surface treatment processes, including metal passivation, electropolishing, and surface chemistry modification in the view of interaction of surface with hydrogen peroxide-based propellants
• Design, develop, optimize, and validate surface engineering processes for stainless steel, aluminium alloys, and other aerospace materials to achieve chemically stable, contamination resistant non-reactive surfaces.
• Investigate the interaction between treated surfaces and oxidizing propellants/process chemicals with a focus on catalytic decomposition pathways and surface driven decomposition kinetics, and establish methods to improve material performance and storage stability
• Plan and execute complex experimental programs to understand surface chemistry, corrosion behaviour, reaction pathways, and degradation mechanisms under realistic operating conditions
• Conduct root cause analysis of material failures, compatibility issues, contamination, and surface treatment non-conformances, and define scientifically grounded corrective actions
• Develop and standardize lab-scale and process-scale surface treatment methodologies for aerospace applications
• Prepare technical reports, research documentation, process specifications, and test summaries with high standards of traceability and data integrity
• Collaborate with design, propellant, manufacturing, quality, and testing teams to translate scientific findings into engineering solutions
• Lead the selection and qualification of materials, coatings, and surface treatment systems for components operating in chemically aggressive propulsion environments.
• Support cross-functional teams with technically justified material choices based on testing, failure analysis, and applicable aerospace standards
• Assess suitability considering manufacturability, fabrication constraints, and component-level design requirements Experience & Background 1. Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science / Materials Engineering, Surface Engineering, Corrosion Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline from a recognized university / institute is essential. Candidates with 0–3 years of relevant experience are preferred.
• Strong expertise in surface treatment, passivation, corrosion mitigation, or chemical compatibility studies
• Solid understanding of reaction kinetics, corrosion science, and electrochemical processing

4.

Experience with SEM, XPS, EIS, Potentiodynamic polarization and related surface characterization tools

• Candidate should be capable to work in timeline driven, result oriented and fast paced environment
• Familiarity with relevant industry and aerospace standards/specifications such as ASTM, AMS, and MIL-SPEC Ideal Candidate Profile We are looking for someone who is:
• Deeply