Materials Application Engineer-Technical Staff
Date: Apr 1, 2026
Location: Lexington, MA, US
Company: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
The Structural & Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group develops first-of-a-kind prototype systems across underwater, ground, air, and space domains for high-impact national security missions. Engineers work on advanced structural and material systems for space-based imaging and laser communications, thermal management solutions from cryogenic to hypersonic regimes, and aerodynamic design and assessment for unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne pods, and hypersonic platforms. Solutions are realized through the integration of high-fidelity analytical and computational modeling, multidisciplinary simulation, environmental testing, and advanced materials, addressing demanding performance, size, weight, power, and environmental constraints that are at the forefront of current engineering capabilities.
The Group offers a collaborative, hands-on environment where engineers pair deep analytical expertise with direct ownership of hardware development, integration, and testing. Engineers are supported in their growth through mentorship and opportunities for increasing technical and programmatic leadership, participation in conferences and professional societies, and direct engagement with mission partners and government sponsors.
Position Description
The Group is seeking engineers with a strong applications-focused background in Materials Science and Engineering, with an emphasis on the selection, testing, and troubleshooting of both traditional and advanced materials in support of the Laboratory’s research and prototyping activities. The candidate for this position would serve as a subject matter expert for the Engineering Division in the field of materials engineering across a range of materials including adhesives, composites, and polymers. There is a strong preference for candidates that have demonstrated practical materials knowledge, experience with the selection, application and testing of adhesives and epoxies and their related surface treatments for a wide range of applications, supporting failure reviews, and the ability to contribute across several programs concurrently. Furthermore, experience designing materials characterization experiments, running these tests, post-processing the results and organizing and maintaining the test data is highly desired. The candidate is expected to work closely with fabrication teams, specifically with adhesive applications, during assembly, integration and test (AI&T) activities to provide technical guidance and help resolve challenges.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to build and maintain a strong collaborative culture, lead the development of innovative ideas and bring an intellectual curiosity to material applications. The position may require special security clearances and travel to meetings and field sites.
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Aerospace Engineering or a related field; Exceptional candidates with a Master’s degree and greater than five years of work experience are also encouraged to apply
- Ability to work as a collaborative member of an interdisciplinary team
- Experience with material testing (mechanical and thermal) and inspection (SEM) equipment
- Ability to clearly communicate results in oral presentations and written reports
- Experience with the development, prototyping, assembly and testing of aerospace systems is a plus, but not required
Recent Graduate Hiring Range: $145,200 - $170,000
Experienced Hiring Range: $145,200 - $220,000
Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including—but not limited to—the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.
At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
- MIT-funded pension
- Matching 401K
- Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
- Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
- Mentorship programs
- A range of work-life balance options
- ... and much more!
Please visit our Benefits page for more information. As an employee of MIT, you can also take advantage of other voluntary benefits, discounts and perks.
Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.
Requisition ID: 42867
Nearest Major Market: Boston
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Thermal Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineer, Laboratory, Security Clearance, Engineering, Science, Government
