Research Engineer, Advanced Manufacturing, IAIC

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research invites applications for a Research Engineer to contribute to AI-powered autonomous scientific platforms in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Directorate (AMRD) and IAIC. The role focuses on building intelligent software systems that integrate AI agents, robotics, instruments, and ML to enable autonomous experimentation and accelerate discovery.

You will work with researchers, engineers, and domain experts to develop AI-driven systems

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Strong programming skills in Python with solid software engineering practices.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch.
• Experience developing modular software systems using Git and collaborative development workflows.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation, scientific instrumentation, workflow automation, or robotics is desirable.
• Experience integrating hardware and software using communication protocols such as Serial, TCP/IP, REST APIs, OPC-UA, or vendor SDKs is an advantage.
• Understanding of Bayesian Optimization, active learning, reinforcement learning, or AI-assisted optimization techniques is desirable.
• Experience with AI agent frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI, or Model Context Protocol) is an advantage.
• Experience with FastAPI, Flask, Docker, Linux, cloud platforms, or scientific computing environments is a plus.
• Familiarity with databases (e.g., SQLite or PostgreSQL) and scientific data management is desirable.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research teams

Responsibilities

• Developing software infrastructure for AI-powered Self-Driving Laboratory platforms.
• Designing and implementing AI agent systems for autonomous scientific workflows.
• Building workflow orchestration systems for experiment planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring, and recovery.
• Integrating laboratory instruments, robotics, and scientific equipment through software interfaces (e.g., Serial, TCP/IP, REST APIs, vendor SDKs).
• Developing autonomous experiment control pipelines by integrating AI models with laboratory hardware and scientific software.
• Implementing Bayesian Optimization, active learning, reinforcement learning, or other AI-driven experimental optimization techniques.
• Building experiment data management, provenance tracking, and scientific data pipelines.
• Developing APIs and backend services for laboratory automation platforms.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams working on AI for Science, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and autonomous experimentation

Skills

Python

PyTorch

Git

AI agent frameworks

FastAPI

Docker

Linux

REST APIs

SQL

Cloud platforms

Communication skills

Laboratory automation

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related fields

Tools

Git

Docker

FastAPI

Flask

Linux

REST APIs

OPC-UA

Vendor SDKs

Job description

Job Summary

We are looking for motivated candidates to join the Advanced Manufacturing Research Directorate (AMRD), Institute of Advanced Intelligence and Computing (IAIC), A*STAR as a Research Engineer. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of next-generation AI-powered autonomous scientific platforms for advanced manufacturing. The role focuses on building intelligent software systems that integrate AI agents, laboratory automation, robotics, scientific instrumentation, and machine learning to enable autonomous experimentation and accelerate scientific discovery. You will work closely with researchers, engineers, and domain experts to develop AI-driven systems capable of planning, executing, monitoring, and optimizing laboratory experiments with minimal human intervention.

Key Scope of Work

• Developing software infrastructure for AI-powered Self-Driving Laboratory platforms.
• Designing and implementing AI agent systems for autonomous scientific workflows.
• Building workflow orchestration systems for experiment planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring, and recovery.
• Integrating laboratory instruments, robotics, and scientific equipment through software interfaces (e.g., Serial, TCP/IP, REST APIs, vendor SDKs).
• Developing autonomous experiment control pipelines by integrating AI models with laboratory hardware and scientific software.
• Implementing Bayesian Optimization, active learning, reinforcement learning, or other AI-driven experimental optimization techniques.
• Building experiment data management, provenance tracking, and scientific data pipelines.
• Developing APIs and backend services for laboratory automation platforms.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams working on AI for Science, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and autonomous experimentation

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Strong programming skills in Python with solid software engineering practices.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch.
• Experience developing modular software systems using Git and collaborative development workflows.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation, scientific instrumentation, workflow automation, or robotics is desirable.
• Experience integrating hardware and software using communication protocols such as Serial, TCP/IP, REST APIs, OPC-UA, or vendor SDKs is an advantage.
• Understanding of Bayesian Optimization, active learning, reinforcement learning, or AI-assisted optimization techniques is desirable.
• Experience with AI agent frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI, or Model Context Protocol) is an advantage.
• Experience with FastAPI, Flask, Docker, Linux, cloud platforms, or scientific computing environments is a plus.
• Familiarity with databases (e.g., SQLite or PostgreSQL) and scientific data management is desirable.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research teams

Preferred Experience

• Autonomous Science
• Self-Driving Laboratories
• Laboratory automation
• Scientific instrumentation
• Robotics
• AI agents and multi-agent systems
• Scientific workflow orchestration
• Bayesian Optimization
• Materials discovery
• Advanced manufacturing
• Semiconductor manufacturing

We welcome motivated engineers who are passionate about developing AI systems for autonomous scientific discovery. This role offers the opportunity to build next-generation AI agents that interact with laboratory instruments, robotics, simulation software, and foundation models to accelerate research in advanced manufacturing and beyond.