Assistant Research Scientist- Future Clean, Cleaning & Formulation Science

JOB TITLE: Assistant Research Scientist- Future Clean, Cleaning & Formulation Science

JOB FUNCTION:  R&D

REPORTS TO: Home Care S&T Platform leader – Future Clean. Advanced Materials and Surface Science

SCOPE: Global

WORK LOCATION: Unilever R&D Bangalore

ABOUT UNILEVER
With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose to: Brighten everyday life for all, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

CATEGORY OR FUNCTION INTRODUCTION:

Home Care is a global business with leading household cleaning and care with brands such as Surf, OMO, Sunlight, Vim and Comfort. Our aim is to offer products that are unmissably superior, sustainable and great value.

We are organised to deliver growth and margin across three core categories: Fabric Cleaning, Fabric Enhancer, and Home & Hygiene. We have a portfolio of strong global brands, and a global geographical footprint.

Our strength is in emerging markets where we lead the industry through market development.

Within R&D, our team of world-leading scientists, researchers and professionals creates innovations that drive growth for our business and deliver positive impacts for people, society and our planet.

For more than 100 years, we have been using our differentiated science and technology to create the superior products and experiences our consumers love. 

JOB PURPOSE

Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. As an assistant research scientist in the Advanced Materials team, you can bring leading edge science to the innovation of our next generation of Clean Future products through which we will deliver our bold new mission ‘to turn ordinary chores into extraordinary moments that don’t cost the earth’.

This mission is the promise we make to lead a transformation of the home care industry by setting new standards in product superiority and sustainability for the benefit of our consumers, our partners and Unilever too.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• Materials Expertise: Demonstrate utilization of comprehensive knowledge in surface, interfacial and colloids science; alongside materials structure and property relationships to develop tangible material leads and develop technical solutions for future cleaning. Stay updated with the latest research and advancements in the field.

• Hypothesis Development: Independently formulate and test hypotheses to enhance Home Care formulations through an understanding of chemical interactions.

• Experimental Design and Execution: Design and conduct experiments to gain insights and work collaboratively with formulation and materials development team to convert insights into opportunities.

• Capability Building: Guide junior chemists and develop team capabilities in interfacial, colloidal science and formulation chemistry, while constantly updating and upgrading own knowledge and expertise.

• Internal Collaborations: Work with AMSS platform leads and other S&T teams to convert new materials into commercially viable propositions.

• External Collaboration: Demonstrate leadership by actively establishing and maintaining relationships with external experts in formulation chemistry and material synthesis.

• Program Management: Assist Platform Leader in managing external research programs related to Home Care formulations.

• Data Analysis and Presentation: Analyse data and present findings to the team, focusing on the interaction between detergent components and their performance. Conversant with use of Digital models and tools, well beyond excel, word and PowerPoint.
  

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Qualifications and Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or master’s in chemistry with follow up experience of 5 years or more in Formulations & Interface Science either in industry or academia.

• Preferred would be demonstrated experience using this knowledge to help deliver new material solutions for Home Care products.

• You are expected to play a crucial role in developing material leads and prototype formulations and optimizing products like laundry detergents and other Home Care products, with demonstrated experience in following areas.

• Deep domain expertise in colloids interfacial science, phase behavior, material chemistry and function of formulations across Home Care including, but not restricted to, fragrance, surfactants, sequestrants, polymers, enzymes.

• Understanding of how ingredients interact with each other and how this can impact performance and for example product performance and stability. Ability to understand and leverage materials design for formulations that excel for performance, sustainability and value.

• Guiding and mentoring junior chemists in design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, understanding mechanisms of action and characterization of ingredients in formulations.

• Proven track record of converting a technical problem into hypothesis, identifying chemistries to address challenges and converting lead material solutions into consumer and commercially viable propositions.

• Working knowledge on the process for manufacturing and ingredient compatibility with process conditions impacting the design principles.

• Collaborating with academic & industrial partners, S&T, Unilever experts and format teams to develop material solutions that are in line with multiyear innovation strategy.

This role is integral to Unilever’s mission of delivering superior and sustainable products to consumers worldwide.

Skills

• The applicant will have demonstrated expertise in Formulations & Interface Science, specifically in

  • Interfacial phenomena: Comprehensive knowledge and expertise in characterization of interfacial properties of surfactants like oil-water interfacial tension, surface tension, contact angle.

  • Stains forensics: Understanding on the composition of key stains and their interaction with different types of substrates. Experience in investigating the interactions and techniques to quantify the absolute stain removal.

  • Ingredient interactions: Phase behaviour of mixed surfactant systems, polymer surfactant synergies to optimize the formulations, enzyme activity and interaction surface active ingredients.

  • Metal ion chelation: Expertise in characterizing the chelation of metal ions and its impact on interfacial and colloidal properties.

  • Structured Data Capture: Store data centrally in a structured manner using appropriate tools, ensuring it is accessible, understandable, and reusable by others.

  • Models: Use of available models to deliver with speed and agility

  • Technical communication: communicating science to different audiences.

  • Collaborative Ecosystem: Manage networks and complex sets of interfaces with different types of partners (for example, strategic suppliers, start-ups, small and medium enterprises, academia.)

Leadership

• You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.

• As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.
  

Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviours

• FOCUS ON WHAT COUNTS: Focuses on fewer, but bigger things and deliver them to conclusion, challenges and debates on the right choices.

• DELIVER WITH EXCELLENCE: Takes pride in our execution, develops breakthrough solutions, best in reality execution

• STAY THREE STEPS AHEAD: Builds plan for long term AND delivers towards requirements of today, resolves to think big, simplify, and committed to make it happen.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.