Thin-Film PV Materials Scientist - Space Solar
Starpath Robotics · Hawthorne
Position Details:
Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Starlight Solar
Travel: Occasional
The Mission
Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars.
Thin-Film PV Materials Scientist – Space Solar
The Starlight team is focused on dramatically improving space solar power to support Starpath's core mission and the greater space economy. Starlight manufactures the lowest cost and highest performance space solar ever, which will power the majority of new satellites built on Earth and all of Starpath's equipment on the Moon and Mars.
As a Thin-Film PV Materials Scientist on the Starlight team, you will own the materials and process chemistry behind our perovskite solar cells. You'll drive the chemistry decisions that determine cell efficiency, yield, environmental stability, and lifetime in space — from precursor formulation through deposition, interface engineering, and integration with encapsulation.
Responsibilities:
Develop and optimize precursor formulations and solution-processed deposition routes for perovskite solar cells, including film growth, post-treatment, and process scaling
Engineer charge transport layers, interfaces, and contact stacks to maximize cell efficiency and operational stability
Drive root-cause investigations on yield, efficiency, and degradation issues — connecting chemistry to electrical and optical performance
Develop environmental stability strategies — moisture, oxygen, thermal, UV, and radiation tolerance — and partner with the polymer/encapsulation team on integration
Characterize materials, interfaces, and devices using techniques such as XRD, XPS, photoluminescence, and IV/EQE
Translate bench chemistry into stable, reproducible, high-yield processes in partnership with manufacturing engineering
Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify chemistries, reduce process steps, and cut overhead wherever it doesn't add value
Required Qualifications:
Master's or PhD in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, applied physics, or a related discipline
Graduate research experience with perovskite, thin-film photovoltaic, or related optoelectronic materials
Demonstrated ability to connect materials chemistry to device performance through characterization and analysis
Preferred Qualifications:
PhD in a relevant discipline with a research focus on perovskite photovoltaics
Direct experience with solution-processed deposition methods — spin coating, blade coating, slot-die coating, or vapor-assisted deposition
Hands-on experience with precursor formulation, solvent engineering, and additive optimization
Familiarity with charge transport materials, interface passivation, and contact stack engineering
Experience scaling perovskite chemistry from research scale to larger-area or pilot manufacturing
Knowledge of perovskite degradation mechanisms and stability strategies (moisture, oxygen, thermal, UV, radiation)
Familiarity with glovebox and cleanroom operations, chemical safety, and contamination control
Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments
EAR Requirements:
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Equal Opportunity:
Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Benefits:
At Starpath Robotics, base pay is just one part of your total rewards package. We also offer:
Generous benefits including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.
Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies to support balance.
Professional growth opportunities through training and development.
The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!
A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated.