Researcher II

Location(s): Santa Clara, CA

Job Schedule: Full-time, Hybrid

Education Requirement: Bachelors Degree

Sponsorship: No  

Come Drive Innovation with Us. With a focus on Mobility, Operational Excellence, Value to our Customers, and vehicle electrification, Nissan is driving innovation in next-generation mobility solutions. From advanced EV platforms to cutting-edge battery technologies, Nissan continues to push the boundaries of engineering to deliver sustainable and intelligent transportation.

At Nissan, our people are what drive our success. We are seeking a talented researcher to join our Battery R&D team in Silicon Valley and help shape the future of battery technology and electrified mobility.

The Battery R&D team in Silicon Valley is a multidisciplinary group that integrates materials science, electrochemistry, and data analytics to accelerate next-generation battery development. The team focuses on bridging material-level understanding with cell-level performance through a combination of experimental research and data-driven approaches.

Working closely with global partners across the United States and Japan, the team translates high-quality experimental insights into actionable engineering solutions and system-level understanding.

A Day in the Life

As a Researcher II, you will focus on developing a deep understanding of battery materials and establishing clear connections between material properties and cell-level performance. You will integrate materials characterization, electrochemical evaluation, and data analysis to identify the relationships that govern battery behavior and degradation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Design and evaluate battery materials, including cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, and interfaces.

• Analyze relationships between material structure, composition, and electrochemical properties.

• Develop hypotheses and experimental approaches to improve battery performance.

• Conduct materials characterization and cell-level evaluation activities.

• Design and execute electrochemical testing, including capacity, resistance, and degradation assessments.

• Identify performance variations and failure mechanisms driven by material properties.

• Quantitatively link material properties to battery cell behavior and performance.

• Structure, analyze, and visualize experimental datasets.

• Collaborate with modeling teams to interpret results and extract meaningful parameters.

• Contribute to data-driven understanding of battery performance and degradation.

• Develop and refine experimental plans, procedures, and testing methodologies.

• Document and communicate findings through technical reports and presentations.

• Contribute to patents, publications, and technical knowledge generation.

• Support materials synthesis activities, including solid-state and solution-based methods.

• Contribute to laboratory automation and high-throughput experimentation initiatives.

• Improve experimental workflows and data acquisition efficiency.

Who We're Looking For

We are seeking an innovative researcher with a strong foundation in battery materials, electrochemistry, and experimental analysis. The ideal candidate is comfortable working across multiple disciplines, utilizing both laboratory and data-driven approaches to solve complex battery performance challenges.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, technical curiosity, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree and 5–10 years of relevant experience; OR

• Master's degree and 2–5 years of relevant experience; OR

• Ph.D. and 0–2 years of relevant experience.

• Degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.

• Strong understanding of electrochemistry and battery fundamentals.

• Ability to interpret relationships between material properties and battery performance.

• Hands-on experience with battery cell assembly, testing, and electrochemical analysis.

• Experience using data analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, or equivalent platforms.

• Demonstrated capability in hypothesis-driven research and problem solving.

Desired:

• Experience with materials synthesis techniques, including solid-state, sol-gel, or co-precipitation methods.

• Experience using materials characterization techniques such as XRD, SEM, XPS, or similar tools.

• Knowledge of battery degradation mechanisms and lifetime analysis.

• Experience collaborating with modeling and simulation teams.

• Familiarity with large-scale or structured experimental datasets.

• Experience with laboratory automation or high-throughput experimentation.

• Demonstrated innovation through patents, publications, or product contributions.

Nissan is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where employees can thrive and contribute their best work. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Nissan is committed to a drug-free workplace. All employment is contingent upon the successful completion of drug and background screenings in accordance with Nissan policies and in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance. Nissan will consider qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records for employment in a manner consistent with these laws.

It is Nissan’s policy to provide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, gender, military status, disability, or any other status protected by law. Candidates for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire; Nissan uses E-Verify to validate employment eligibility.

NISSAN FOR EVERYONE

People are our most valuable assets, and diversity and inclusion are the key to maximizing the power of each individual member of our team.  When everyone belongs, the power of NISSAN is undeniable.  Our Corporate Diversity Initiative aims to improve business results by ensuring that our workplace and core businesses meet the unique needs of our employees and customer base.

Nissan is committed to creating a culture where everyone belongs and employees, customers, and partners feel respected, valued, and heard.  We have over 10 Business Synergy Teams (BSTs) across the U.S. and Canada that connect employees – with shared characteristics or interests – build allies, and foster a company culture where all employees feel supported and included.

Nissan also values inclusion in all areas of our business as we strive to mirror the diversity of our customer base and the communities where we do business. We are committed to procuring innovative goods and services, retailing our products and communicating from a diverse perspective which will help us continue to offer our customers competitively designed, market-driven products.

Join us as we carry our commitment to diversity and inclusion into the future.

Salary Range:

Salary Range Estimate: Annual Salary: (Minimum to Maximum of  Salary Range noted here). This compensation range represents the minimum and maximum base salary rates at Nissan for jobs assigned to this particular grade level. Please note that it is uncommon for an employee to be placed at either end of the range.  Rather, an employee’s actual base salary generally may fall somewhere in between and reflect the employee’s unique skills, work experience, education, work location, and market norms.  Additionally, pay may be based on comparisons to the base salary rates of other employees with similar backgrounds working in comparable roles.