R&D Scientist

Job description:
R&D Scientist
Location: El Segundo, California
Type: Full time, in person
Experience: Early career
Travel: Frequent international travel, primarily to South America

About NanduX
NanduX is a mineral exploration company using its proprietary sensor platform to discover copper deposits.

Our mission is simple: find copper.

Copper is arguably the most critical of all critical minerals. It is foundational to American energy and infrastructure, from the power grid to the data centers driving the AI revolution.

The supply chain begins with the discovery of new deposits, but the easy copper is already gone. What remains lies deep underground and is increasingly difficult to locate using legacy technologies. This creates a massive supply bottleneck just as demand reaches an all-time high and continues to grow. It is a civilization-scale problem.

We are hardware-first and AI-native. We believe the next generation of discoveries will come from bringing the two together.

We are building this technology in El Segundo, California, and deploying it across the major mining districts of South America, which hosts the world’s largest copper reserves.

We have already deployed our systems at active mines in Chile. The person who joins us will help turn these early deployments into a scalable exploration platform.

About the role
We are looking for an exceptional early-career scientist who wants to build technology, deploy it in the field, and tackle a challenge of civilizational scale.

As an R&D Scientist at NanduX, your main mission will be to build technologies that find copper. You will take new sensor concepts from benchtop prototypes through data acquisition and analysis to field deployment in the Atacama desert and other remote locations.

You will join an early team developing and deploying a portfolio of sensor systems for deep mineral exploration.
Your work will combine experimental science, sensor development, electronics, scientific software, data analysis, and field testing. You will work closely with experienced scientists and engineers and take on significant responsibility from day one.

This is a hands on role. You will build prototypes, design experiments, analyze data, deploy equipment in the field, and iterate.

What you will do
• Design, assemble, and test sensor prototypes
• Integrate sensors, readout electronics, data acquisition systems, and scientific software
• Design and conduct laboratory and field experiments
• Design AI-native software for data acquisition, analysis, simulation, and visualization
• Troubleshoot hardware and software under real operating conditions
• Deploy and operate technology at mineral exploration sites, including remote locations in South America
• Document results and communicate what you learned to the broader technical team

What we are looking for
First and foremost, we look for demonstrated excellence, whether in academic research, industry, or independent projects.
We welcome recent graduates, postdoctoral researchers, and scientists or engineers.

You may be a strong fit if you have:
• A degree in physics, geophysics, electrical engineering, or another relevant technical field.
• Strong experimental instincts and an interest in building physical systems
• Experience designing, building, or testing sensors or scientific instruments of any type
• Familiarity with readout electronics, data acquisition, embedded systems, or scientific programming
• A willingness to travel internationally and work in demanding field environments
A PhD is appreciated but not required. Evidence of exceptional work is what matters to us.
Experience in geophysics or nuclear physics instrumentation, signal processing, low power electronics, or robotics is useful but not required.

Work authorization:
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. NanduX is unable to provide employment visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future.

What we offer
• A salary of $100,000 to $130,000, depending on experience
• Equity ownership in NanduX
• Health insurance
• 401(k)
• Significant responsibility and room to grow as the company expands

How to apply
Apply by sanding am email to contact at nandutech dot net with short note describing something you have designed, built, measured, or discovered. NanduX is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from different backgrounds who are excited to build technology, work in the field, and help find the copper America needs.