Researcher, PP/Catalloy PD&CD

Come Join an Inclusive Team

The Researcher, PP/Catalloy Product Development & Circular Design, develops new and improved polypropylene and Catalloy products to meet business, customer, manufacturing, and market needs. The researcher applies polymer science fundamentals and structure-processing-properties reasoning to design experiments, interpret results, and move development work from laboratory and pilot-scale studies through plant trials and commercial implementation. 

The role supports both virgin and circular product development, including new products, formulation and product improvements, cost reduction, manufacturing support, and the use of recycled or renewable feedstocks where relevant. The researcher works closely with other R&D groups, Manufacturing, Technical Service, Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Product Safety, Intellectual Property, and global colleagues. The position is intended for a new graduate or early-career researcher with the technical foundation and motivation to develop deep expertise in PP and Catalloy product development. 

A Day in the Life

Safety and responsible research 

• Demonstrate strong GoalZERO behaviors and contribute actively to a safe laboratory, pilot-plant, and manufacturing work environment. 
• Plan and document work in accordance with applicable HSE, product-safety, regulatory, and research-integrity requirements. 

PP and Catalloy product development 

• Lead or support development of new and improved PP and Catalloy products for LyondellBasell and North American third-party technology assets. 
• Translate customer, market, manufacturing, and business needs into value statements, technical questions, hypotheses, and experimental plans. 
• Apply catalyst-reactor-structure-processing-properties understanding to develop products for priority applications, including injection molding, thermoforming, film, fiber, and nonwovens. 
• Design and conduct laboratory and pilot-scale experiments; analyze results; and support plant trials, qualification, industrialization, and commercial implementation. 
• Support product improvements, formulation and raw-material changes, cost reductions, manufacturing troubleshooting, and portfolio optimization. 
• Assess and address product-safety and regulatory requirements in new product development, product changes, and portfolio improvements. 
• Generate and maintain technical documentation and contribute to technical reports, invention disclosures, patent applications, and other activities that protect and expand LYB’s intellectual property. 

Circular design 

• Apply circular-design and design-for-recycling principles in the development and improvement of PP and Catalloy products. 
• Support products containing recycled or renewable feedstocks where they meet technical, regulatory, manufacturing, and value requirements. 
• Evaluate the effects of recycled-material composition, contamination, variability, and degradation history on processing and product performance, working with circularity and recycling specialists as needed. 

Collaboration and project execution 

• Work effectively with R&D researchers and technicians and with Manufacturing, Technical Service, Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Product Safety, Intellectual Property, global R&D, and other relevant groups. 
• Participate in or coordinate cross-functional project teams and communicate the evidence, uncertainty, implications, recommendations, and next steps clearly. 
• Engage with universities, research organizations, equipment suppliers, start-ups, and other external technical partners when needed for assigned projects. 
• Manage assigned work in an organized and timely manner, balancing project priorities and available resources. 
• Up to 10% travel, primarily within North America to support commercial plant production trials, with occasional international travel as required by project work. 
• Lead product development projects, drive completion of project deliverables, and present projects to key stakeholders. 

Digital and AI-enabled research 

• Use approved digital, data-analysis, modeling, and AI-enabled tools to search and synthesize technical information, analyze data, develop hypotheses and experimental plans, and communicate results. 
• Apply scientific judgment, verify important outputs against source information and experimental evidence, and protect confidential and proprietary information.

You Bring This Value

Education and experience 

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field, with research relevant to polymers or polymeric materials. 
• Suitable for a new graduate or early-career researcher. 
• Prior experience involving polyolefins, polymer characterization, polymer processing, product development, polymerization, circularity, or related material systems is preferred. Direct PP or Catalloy experience is helpful but not required. 

Technical foundation and researcher capabilities 

• Technical foundation: Applies polymer-science or engineering fundamentals and structure-processing-properties reasoning to make predictions, formulate hypotheses, design controlled experiments, and interpret data. 
• Technical Curiosity: Seeks to understand why results occur, identifies important unknowns, and tests competing explanations. 
• Technical Rigor: Designs work to support decisions, treats uncertainty honestly, and turns theory and data into supported conclusions and next steps. 
• Technical Communication and Influence: Communicates accurately and effectively through written reports, in-person presentations, and virtual meetings to  multiple audiences. Responds constructively to challenge, and helps teams reach evidence-based decisions. 
• Translation to Value: Connects technical work to customer, plant, product, portfolio, or business needs and explains what improves and what evidence is needed. 
• Execution: Works hands-on, solves problems, takes ownership, follows through, and manages changing priorities effectively. 

What We Offer

Competencies