Automation Engineer

Periodic Labs • Menlo Park, CA

92d

About The Position

Join a world-class team of scientists and engineers pushing the boundaries of materials research in a groundbreaking lab where AI and automation unlock discoveries at unprecedented speed and scale. We’re building an autonomous lab to speed up materials discovery, and we need someone who loves making instruments, robots, and data systems play beautifully together. As our Automation Engineer, you’ll turn scientific workflows into working software and integrations by designing clear data models, connecting instruments and automation to our lab information systems, and making sure everything runs in sync, safely, and reliably.

Requirements

• BS in EE/CS/ME/Controls or equivalent.
• 5+ years in lab automation, integration, or industrial automation software.
• Hands-on experience with robotic lab automation systems.
• Strong experience with scripting/programming (Python preferred).
• Familiarity with APIs, databases, and enterprise software integration.
• Hands-on experience with information management and execution systems, such as LIMS or MES.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with containers, CI/CD, and Git-based workflows.
• Background in lab informatics or scientific data management.
• Demonstrated accomplishments recognized in your field.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with bench scientists to translate experiments and lab workflows into clear integration specs and data models.
• Work with integrators to design and build automated workcells for materials R&D.
• Build and maintain services that connect instruments and robots to lab information systems.
• Develop instrument drivers that automate lab workflows by generating command sequences and invoking vendor API/SDK methods.
• Collaborate with AI and data scientists to tightly integrate the autonomous lab with AI models for analysis and planning of experiments.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree