Principal Robotics Engineer

Bexorg • New Haven, CT

4d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Robotics Engineer to architect, build, and own the robotics backbone of Bexorg’s automated experimental platforms. You will be responsible for:
Automating our perfusion rigs so they operate robustly and autonomously with minimal technical supervision.

Designing and implementing a high-throughput brain slice incubation platform that integrates robotics, fluidics, and advanced control systems.

This is a hands-on, senior technical leadership role for someone who wants to build systems that have never existed before, in close collaboration with surgeons, perfusion technicians, software engineers, and drug discovery scientists.

Requirements

• Extensive hands-on experience designing, building, and deploying robotic systems in production or mission-critical environments.
• Demonstrated track record of leading complex robotics projects end-to-end, from requirements gathering through commissioning and support.
• Strong expertise in several of the following areas:
• Industrial robotic arms (e.g., KUKA, FANUC, ABB, UR, Kawasaki); KUKA AGILUS or similar a plus
• Motion planning, calibration, and safety for industrial robots
• Mechatronics: integrating sensors, actuators, pumps, valves, and control electronics
• Real-time control and supervisory systems for complex hardware
• Robotics software frameworks; ROS-2 experience strongly preferred
• Ability to thrive in a hands-on environment: comfortable working around wet-lab equipment, plumbing, fluidics, and hardware bring-up.
• Excellent communication skills and demonstrated experience mentoring and leading junior engineers.
• Proven ability to operate as an aggressive self-starter: you take ownership, move quickly, and drive projects forward with minimal supervision.
• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience with a strong track record of impact.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in biopharma, biotech, or medical devices, especially with automated lab or screening systems.
• Prior work with high-throughput or continuous operation systems that must run reliably for long durations.
• Experience with:
• Fluid-handling automation or lab automation platforms
• Closed-loop control of pressure, flow, temperature, and dosing
• GMP/GxP or other regulated environments
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant field.

Responsibilities

• System Architecture & Design
• Own the end-to-end design of robotic systems for perfusion rigs and brain slice incubation platforms, from concept through deployment.
• Specify and integrate robots (e.g., KUKA AGILUS or similar class of arms) with complex artificial circulatory and dialysis systems.
• Architect fluid-handling and sample-handling subsystems, including pumps, valves, reservoirs, and manifolds for precise control of:
• Systolic pressure and flow profiles
• Temperature and gas exchange
• Dosing concentrations and timing
• Automation & Control
• Develop robust automation for the full experimental workflow: setup, calibration, operation, monitoring, fault detection, and safe shutdown.
• Implement and maintain ROS-2–based software to coordinate robots, sensors, pumps, valves, and supervisory control.
• Build state machines, safety interlocks, and real-time monitoring to ensure system reliability and reproducibility in a wet-lab environment.
• Collaborate with software engineers to integrate robotics systems with higher-level orchestration, data acquisition, and LIMS/ELN tools.
• Execution & Ownership
• Rapidly prototype, test, and iterate on mechanical, electrical, and control designs to reach production-grade reliability.
• Define and refine acceptance tests, performance metrics, and validation protocols for automated systems.
• Drive root-cause analysis and systematic debugging of mechanical, electrical, and software issues in deployed systems.
• Leadership & Collaboration
• Serve as the senior technical authority on robotics within Bexorg, setting best practices and technical standards.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and technicians in robotics, controls, and automation.
• Work cross-functionally with surgeons, perfusion specialists, and biologists to translate experimental needs into robust, scalable robotic solutions.
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including collaborators at major biopharma companies.

Benefits

• Work on truly unique, first-of-its-kind systems at the intersection of robotics, neuroscience, and drug discovery.
• Directly contribute to platforms that could fundamentally change how we treat neurodegenerative diseases.
• Collaborate with world-class scientists, engineers, and clinicians in a fast-moving, well-funded startup environment.
• On-site, hardware-focused work in New Haven, CT, with direct access to the systems you design and build.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees