Help Build the Future of a Global Industry

A&B Smart Materials is an Oxford University–based materials science venture developing bio-based and/or biodegradable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to replace today’s fossil-based plastics.

SAPs are the “magic-like” absorbent cores inside diapers, menstrual pads and incontinence products. In agriculture, they act as “water-storage crystals” that help soil retain moisture. Today’s SAPs are persistent plastics that can remain in the environment and contribute to microplastic pollution. Growing regulatory pressure, consumer demand and the scale of the microplastics crisis are making sustainable alternatives increasingly urgent.

Our goal is simple and ambitious: to replace the synthetic superabsorbents that dominate a $9B market today and are expected to reach $17B by 2035, delivering materials that achieve the essential trifecta of top performance, competitive pricing and large-scale manufacturability.

We believe this is a generational opportunity to reinvent an essential material, transform a global industry and make sustainable SAPs the new standard. We are bringing together exceptional scientists, industry experts, investors and commercial partners to make it happen.

Why A&B Smart Materials?

We recently closed a heavily oversubscribed $2M pre-seed round, backed by an exceptional group of investors including Sake Bosch, caesar., Living Hope VC, Archipelago Ventures, Triple Impact Ventures, Cranfield University Seed Fund and Oxford Seed Fund, alongside leading business angels from the Cambridge Capital Group and Oxford Innovation Finance.

A&B Smart Materials was named in the UK Startups 100 2026, won the Planet Positive Award at MRE 2026, and one of our founders has been recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30. We are supported by Chemstars, the EarthScale Accelerator and the Green Tech Legal Collaborative.

We have also signed a deal with one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Achieving this at our stage is an exceptional milestone and a strong validation of our technology, team and commercial momentum.

Our advisors include the former Managing Director of the world’s largest superabsorbent polymer company, alongside other world-class leaders with deep experience across SAPs, hygiene, chemical manufacturing and agriculture.

You will join a small, ambitious team with the speed and ownership of a startup, the backing of outstanding investors and advisors, and the opportunity to collaborate with one of the largest chemical companies in the world.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an exceptional polymer scientist to help build the future of sustainable superabsorbent polymers.

We are hiring at experienced, senior and lead level. Your title, remuneration, responsibilities and level of influence will reflect the expertise and impact you bring.

This is a hands-on role focused on the design, synthesis, formulation, characterisation, optimisation and scale-up of bio-based and/or biodegradable SAPs.

You will make a visible contribution from the beginning: shaping the science, developing valuable intellectual property and helping move breakthrough materials towards industrial-scale adoption.

Depending on your level, you will independently lead technical workstreams, mentor other scientists and help shape our technology roadmap.

For senior and lead appointments, this is a genuine company-building role. You will work alongside the senior team to set research priorities and help lead the scientific, technical and product direction of A&B Smart Materials.

What You Will Do

• Conduct hands-on experimental work in polymer and SAP synthesis, formulation and characterisation.
• Design and execute rigorous experiments, analyse results and rapidly translate learning into improved materials.
• Optimise absorption, retention, permeability, gel strength, biodegradability, cost and manufacturability.
• Develop and evaluate SAP formulations for hygiene, agriculture and other applications.
• Connect material chemistry and processing conditions with end-product performance.
• Contribute to intellectual property, patents, technical documentation and partner programmes.
• Support application testing, external validation and collaboration with industrial partners.
• Help progress our technology from laboratory development through scale-up and commercialisation.
• Take ownership of important technical challenges and deliver high-quality results against ambitious objectives.

Senior and lead candidates may also lead major R&D programmes, mentor and build the scientific team, guide scale-up strategy and represent A&B Smart Materials with customers, manufacturers and research partners.

What We Are Looking For

A PhD in polymer science, chemistry, materials or a closely related field is essential. We will consider candidates without a PhD only where they bring 10 or more years of hands-on polymer research experience.

Beyond the qualification itself, we care about scientific ability, judgement and the depth of your research record.

You should bring strong wet-laboratory and polymer-development skills, the ability to design rigorous experiments and interpret complex data, and high standards of scientific integrity and documentation.

You must pair that research depth with genuine commercial experience. A successful material has to deliver not only in the laboratory but also on performance, cost, manufacturability and commercial relevance — and we expect you to have worked somewhere those constraints were real, whether in industry, a commercial R&D function or a research group delivering directly to industrial partners.

SAP or closely analogous polymer experience is a major advantage

Direct experience with superabsorbent polymers is the single strongest advantage a candidate can bring. Experience with closely analogous systems — hydrogels, crosslinked networks or other water-absorbing polymers — is valued nearly as highly. We particularly value experience in:

• SAP synthesis, formulation, characterisation, performance testing or manufacturing.
• Conventional, bio-based, biodegradable or otherwise sustainable SAP technologies.
• SAP applications in diapers, menstrual pads, incontinence products or other hygiene products.
• Agriculture and agriscience, including soil enhancers, water-retention materials, fertilisers or crop inputs.
• Working for or alongside a major SAP producer, chemical manufacturer, hygiene company or agricultural business.
• Taking a material or chemical process from laboratory development through pilot production, manufacturing or commercial deployment.
• Process development, manufacturing optimisation and technology transfer.
• Leading technical programmes or mentoring scientific teams.

Candidates who have personally experienced the realities of scale-up — transferring a laboratory process to larger equipment, higher volumes and industrial operating conditions — will be particularly valued.

Our Culture and What We Offer

We are an ambitious, collaborative and results-oriented startup. We look for people who take ownership, move with urgency, communicate directly and maintain exceptional scientific standards. This is an environment for people who want meaningful responsibility, rapid development and the opportunity to do some of the best work of their careers.

We offer:

• Competitive remuneration and meaningful equity.
• 28 days of paid holiday annually.
• Significant influence over products, intellectual property and technical strategy.
• Access to world-class investors, advisors and industry leaders.
• Close collaboration with one of the world’s largest chemical companies.
• A role that can grow substantially as both you and the company develop.
• The opportunity to help build a category-defining company and transform a global industry.

Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to reinvent an essential material, establish a new global standard and help build a company with the potential for lasting impact.

Whether you are an experienced researcher ready for greater ownership or a technical leader looking to help direct a high-growth company, we want to hear from you. Candidates with direct SAP expertise, relevant industry experience or a proven record of taking technologies through scale-up are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application form: https://tally.so/r/ODZkya

Recruitment email: recruitment@absmartmaterials.com