Senior Tribologist

Quick Facts

• Role: Senior Tribologist

• Focus: friction, wear, lubrication, and tribological characterization/failure analysis

• Location: Materials Development Center (Santa Clara, CA)

Description

Set the technical direction for tribology across product lines by identifying friction and wear mechanisms and defining test strategies from coupon-level screening to component-level validation. Lead tribological characterization and failure analysis to identify wear mechanisms and root cause, then translate findings into actionable design choices such as material, coating, lubrication, contact/geometry recommendations, and qualification criteria. Expand and advance the lab’s tribology capability and train/mentor technicians to run routine measurements.

Responsibilities

• Provide tribology subject-matter expertise across a wide range of materials

• Bring tribology perspective to product/material solutions spanning materials, surface treatments, lubricants, and geometry

• Coordinate with Product Design, Industrial Design, Reliability, and Manufacturing Design to explain surface and wear behavior for engineering decisions

• Partner with materials modeling teams to develop predictive tools for friction and wear

• Bring cutting-edge expertise to keep approaches at the forefront of the field

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; research focused on tribology or surface science

• 5+ years of industry experience applying tribology to product development (mechanical components or consumer hardware preferred)

• Deep expertise in tribology fundamentals: contact mechanics, friction, and wear mechanisms across metals, ceramics, polymers, and coated surfaces

• Ability to identify wear mechanisms from worn surfaces and failure analysis results

• Proven ability to design and interpret coupon-level tribology tests; link results to component and field performance

• Ability to use test insights to drive material and coating selection

Benefits

• Work with a world-class materials engineering team with deep subject-matter expertise across materials

• Shape how materials for moving interfaces are designed and qualified to support multi-year performance