Researcher I

**Date**:Jun 19, 2024

**Location**: Sassenheim, NL

**Company**:AkzoNobel

**About AkzoNobel**

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands - including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon - is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today - while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

© 2024 Akzo Nobel N.V. All rights reserved.

**Let's paint the picture of this role**:
**Bring your research and knowledge-building skills to a forward-thinking research environment AkzoNobel is a global leader in the area of Paints and Coatings.**

This success is based on the highest levels of research and innovation. Central to this research capability is the Innovation group in which several Expertise Centers work on future coating concepts. In this group the Expertise Center Substrate Protection (EC SP) works on challenging research projects aiming to understand the protective properties of coatings and develop new and innovative anti-corrosive and other substrate protecting concepts for the global Paints & Coatings market. The EC SP is an international team, and we are looking for a Researcher to be based in Sassenheim, the Netherlands.

Within this context, your mission in this role is to find solutions for our corrosion challenges as part of a project team and lead projects on the development of new coating technologies. In particular, you draw on literature and interaction with AkzoNobel R&D experts from around the globe, to deepen the understanding and propose novel approaches for the research project. With this work, insights are developed that will lead to new concepts, improved research methodology and more fundamental understanding of substrate protection for paints & coatings.

**Key Accountabilities**:
This role is based at our major site in Sassenheim, the Netherlands. Working from here you collaborate closely with the team/project leader to translate project objectives into plans.

This requires you to:
- Set up experiments, analyze and interpret the results. Setting up statistical experimental designs is part of this.
- Analyze internal and external technical literature, reports, patents, publications, towards written proposals for R&D investigation.
- Set up projects, interact with stakeholders from the different business areas and R&D.
- You manage the projects in a structured manner and communicate on the progress formally and informally.
- You have a clear affinity for working in long-term projects with technical challenges and you like to dive into the chemical/physical background and theory of coatings (components) and corrosion processes to solve these challenges.
- You execute experiments with accuracy, you analyze your results independently and report back with conclusions and follow-up suggestions.
- You provide the team, project leaders and other stakeholders with clear overviews of your activities and timings to ensure optimal project planning.
- You coordinate activities with the different R&D disciplines and (temporary) assigned lab technicians and ensures quality and progress activities related to your projects.
- You provide functional guidance to chemists and technicians.
- You communicate the key outcomes of the experiments clearly and effectively with other parts of the AkzoNobel (R&D) community and report the work in reports for retention of knowledge.

It is imperative that you stay up to date with developments in coatings and research methods in this field, building knowledge via all relevant literature and input from universities, clients, other research centers. It is also important that you have a clear affinity for working in long-term projects with technical challenges, and that you enjoy diving into the chemical background and theory of coatings (components) to solve these challenges. At all times you work safely and observe good laboratory practice and safety standards.

**Experience**:

- Academic science-based degree (preferably PhD) in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science etc.
- Expertise in the field of corrosion, polymers, electrochemical techniques or metallurgy is a benefit.
- Experience in or the affinity for working in a research and laboratory environment.
- Clear interest in gaining physical and chemical background of paint, paint components and corrosion processes.
- Ambitious to learn and grow, self-organizing and a drive for results.
- Team-player, keen to work together with colleagues in project teams.
- Excellent communication skills on all levels in the organiz