Propellant Research Scientist

Propellant Research Scientist

About Manastu

Manastu Space is a Space Safety and Logistics company focused on making space safe, sustainable, and accessible. We develop technologies to address critical challenges such as space debris mitigation and green propulsion, enabling safer satellite operations, and long-term sustainability of the space ecosystem.

Our work sits at the intersection of advanced engineering, applied research, and mission-critical systems, requiring deep technical capability and long-term thinking.

Website: https://www.manastuspace.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manastu-space/

Email: [Confidential Information]

Role Objective

Lead the scientific research that makes our hydrogen peroxide-based green propellant safe to store inside flight hardware for the full mission life, fulfilling customer and space agency requirements.

The role is responsible for developing a deep understanding of propellant formulation, degradation, and storability chemistry; controlling propellant life through rational stabilization and interface material selection; and translating this understanding into storage-life predictions and the qualification data required for flight-ready propulsion systems.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Propellant Research Scientist to join our team in Navi Mumbai.

This is a high-ownership research position at the core of our propulsion program, addressing fundamental questions of decomposition kinetics, catalysis by trace impurities, and propellant-material interactions. The answers must hold in flight hardware, where the propellant must remain within specification for the full mission life.

You will work at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and propulsion hardware, contributing to the development of stable, reliable, and flight-ready peroxide-based propulsion systems.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead propellant formulation development: design and optimise formulation chemistry for performance, storability, and safety, and establish the stability and hazard classification of each formulation through appropriate characterization and testing.
2. Lead research on propellant storability chemistry, applying reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, free radical chemistry, and oxidizer chemistry to elucidate decomposition pathways driven by trace impurities, metal ions, and container surfaces. Develop stabilization strategies that suppress these pathways, selecting additives by their mechanism of action at the molecular level.
3. Design and execute experimental programs to quantify propellant degradation under mission-relevant conditions of temperature, material interfaces, and trace contamination, and develop accelerated-ageing methods and predictive models that translate laboratory kinetics into validated storage-life predictions for flight hardware.
4. Select and qualify wetted materials for the propulsion system: evaluate propellant-material molecular interactions at the interface, measure decomposition and attack rates per material, define compatibility limits, and verify surface passivation by test.
5. Translate research findings into engineering practice: propellant specifications with acceptance limits, storage and handling guidelines, and design rules for propulsion system hardware.
6. Lead failure investigations and anomaly resolution related to propellant stability, material compatibility, or unexpected decomposition behaviour, establishing each mechanism with analytical evidence and driving it to root cause and verified resolution.
7. Generate the qualification data and technical justification required for propulsion system storage certification and flight readiness reviews.
8. Publish technical findings internally and externally, mentor team members, and build laboratory capability, with safety integrated into every experimental plan from the outset.

Experience & Background

1. PhD in Chemistry (Organic or Polymer) or a related field.
2. Minimum 5 years of post-PhD industry or equivalent experience, ideally in formulation chemistry across fields such as propellants, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, etc., where formulation chemistry governs stability and product performance.
3. Strong command of analytical and characterization techniques, with the data analysis and interpretation skills to develop property-stability correlations.
4. A strong publication record (patents, research papers, and conferences), ideally with a formulation taken from the laboratory to a released product or specification.
5. Ability to work in a timeline-driven, result-oriented, and fast-paced environment with a safety-first approach.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A hands-on experimental scientist with strong expertise in formulation development and stability studies, able to defend mechanisms and shelf-life claims with measured data.
• Combines molecular-level understanding with system-level thinking, translating hardware requirements into chemistry and research findings into engineering practice, with demonstrated experience in failure analysis and complex stability problems.
• Works independently, communicates effectively across engineering teams and leadership, and treats safety as an integral part of the science.

What we offer

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive health insurance

High ownership and visibility, with direct access to leadership

Support for learning, conferences, and research exposure

Subsidized lunch plan