Periodic Labs
Research Engineer, Lab Automation
About this role
Join an AI-driven materials discovery company as a Research Engineer to bridge bench science and lab automation. You'll translate experimental workflows into automated hardware setups, working closely with scientists and engineers to accelerate materials R&D through intelligent automation.
What you'll do
- Partner with bench scientists to understand experimental goals and define hardware/workflow requirements
- Evaluate, select, and configure lab instrumentation for materials synthesis and characterization
- Design automation workflows that account for the practical realities of materials research
- Serve as technical liaison between scientists and software/automation teams on integration specifications
- Diagnose and troubleshoot instrument and workflow issues using materials domain expertise
- Collaborate with AI/data scientists to ensure experimental data structure supports analysis and planning
What they're looking for
- Materials science domain knowledge (synthesis, characterization, lab equipment)
- Lab instrumentation expertise (furnaces, gas/fluid handling, analytical tools)
- Python programming for instrument control and data manipulation
- Cross-functional communication with scientists and engineers
- Experimental protocol design and optimization
- Lab automation and workflow design
- LIMS or electronic lab notebook systems
- Technical translation and requirements specification
Benefits
- Equity compensation
- Visa sponsorship available
- Work on cutting-edge AI and materials discovery
- Menlo Park location with expansion to San Francisco
- Rapid-growth environment with world-class investors
- Direct impact on scientific breakthroughs
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Periodic Labs
Periodic Labs builds AI systems and autonomous lab infrastructure to accelerate materials discovery and scientific research, integrating machine learning with physical lab workflows and quantum simulation. The company is hiring for infrastructure engineers, product engineers, research engineers, and deployment specialists who bridge AI models with materials scientists and lab automation systems.
View all jobs at Periodic LabsLikely interview questions
- Walk us through a complex experimental workflow you've designed or optimized—what made it challenging to automate or scale?
- Describe your experience working with lab instrumentation—which systems have you configured or troubleshot, and what went wrong?