Senior Researcher, Advanced Battery Materials

Job Description

Senior Researcher, Advanced Battery Materials

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard - from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.

Why GM Battery Research & Development?

At GM, your work won’t sit on a shelf – you’ll see it power real vehicles on the road. You’ll move ideas from first principles → validated models → vehicle impact, working at the intersection of fundamental physics, advanced simulation, and real-world EV systems. Our Research team offers the opportunity to:

• Work alongside leading experts in electrochemistry, materials science, and Multiphysics

• Solve fundamental battery science problems across transport phenomena, kinetics, and degradation

• Leverage advanced experimental data, high-fidelity instrumentation, and high-performance computing

• Be supported to publish and present original research in leading journals and conferences

• Collaborate with universities, national labs, suppliers, and federally funded research programs

• See your research directly influence battery design, safety, and performance in GM EVs

• Grow within a deeply technical environment across expert and research leadership tracks

The Role

As a Senior Researcher on the Advanced Battery Materials team, you will develop concepts for next-generation materials and chemistries, identify new project opportunities, and establish technical plans for advanced batteries for EV and grid-storage applications. In support of development projects, you will design and synthesize novel materials; conduct material-level characterization and analysis; support cell integration; perform failure and root-cause analyses; and drive further optimization. You will also prepare high-quality technical reports, external publications, and records of invention related to your research.

What You’ll Do

• Battery design and evaluation: Design, integrate, and evaluate battery cells, including optimization of cell performance through formation protocols and testing procedures.

• Materials and tools development: Develop novel materials, methodologies, and tools for advanced battery technologies, supported by evaluation, characterization, and data analysis.

• Problem solving and analysis: Design and execute projects or experiments to address technical challenges, including failure-mode and root-cause analyses.

• Innovation and project development: Initiate innovative concepts, identify research opportunities, and develop new project ideas while leading or supporting technical projects through individual contributions.

• Communication and collaboration: Summarize research results in reports, journal publications, and conference presentations, and build connections with internal and external partners.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Ph.D. in Science or Engineering

• Demonstrated experience in battery research and development

• Experience developing battery component materials, such as active materials or electrolytes

• In-depth knowledge of state-of-the-art energy storage technologies

• Ability to generate innovative ideas and propose, plan, and execute research projects in core energy storage areas

• Ability to design and conduct experiments for materials development and evaluation

• Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams 

• Effective communication skills with researchers, engineers, and technical stakeholders

• Ability to manage multiple tasks while working with cross-functional teams

• Ability to lead technical discussions within the team

• Ability to analyze and interpret experimental data

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Hands-on experience with chemical or materials characterization

What will give you a competitive edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• More than 5 years of experience in battery development at the materials or cell level

• More than 5 years of hands-on experience with larger-format battery cells, s