Autonomous Infrastructure and Robotic Science Lead

Argonne National Laboratory; Lemont (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois is seeking an outstanding scientist to lead and support research at the intersection of AI, autonomous platforms, and domain science. The successful candidate will develop infrastructure for laboratory autonomy and foster collaboration across various scientific disciplines.

This role requires a Ph.D. and extensive experience in autonomous systems. You will guide a multidisciplinary team and contribute to impactful research initiatives that advance laboratory autonomy, AI tools, and scientific discovery.

Qualifications

• Completed Ph.D. in a relevant field and a minimum of 4+ years of related experience.
• Proven research track record in deploying automated and autonomous platforms and AI/ML.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Guide development of laboratory autonomy infrastructure.
• Facilitate collaborations in autonomous science demonstrations.
• Publish in refereed journals and present findings.

Skills

Autonomous platforms

AI/ML expertise

Team leadership

Research publication

Collaboration skills

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry

Job description

The Computing, Environment, and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate seeks an outstanding scientist to lead and support frontier research at the intersection of AI, autonomous platforms, data infrastructure, and domain science. The candidate will have established expertise across automated and autonomous experimental platforms and AI, leadership of multi-disciplinary research programs, and development of novel research concepts. The scientist will lead Argonne’s Rapid Prototyping Laboratory (RPL), a team of computer scientists, roboticists, data scientists, and subject matter experts, who develop hardware and software infrastructure for laboratory autonomy, support autonomous laboratories in chemistry, biology, and quantum science, collaborate with domain scientists to execute autonomous experiments, and advance laboratory autonomy and robotics. RPL develops the open-source Modular Autonomous Discovery for Science (MADSci) software framework for orchestration of autonomous laboratories and software infrastructure supporting the operation, training, and execution of robotic workflows.

Focus Areas

• Autonomous laboratories for chemistry, materials, biology, etc.
• AI/ML for predictive modeling and inverse design.
• Generative models, reinforcement learning, and agent-based approaches to streamline experimentation and accelerate discovery.
• Integration of HPC, data infrastructure, and ML pipelines for data‑driven and autonomous research.
• Digital twins and simulation‑augmented AI tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide the development of infrastructure for laboratory autonomy including physical autonomous laboratories, robotics laboratories, and software frameworks for autonomous science and robotics.
• Facilitate collaborations between the RPL and domain scientists across Argonne and partner institutions in the execution of successful autonomous science demonstrations.
• Facilitate collaborations between the RPL and teams at partner institutions developing autonomous science and robotics infrastructure.
• Guide the RPL team toward the advancement of laboratory autonomy and robotics.
• Publish in refereed journals and present at conferences, symposia, and seminars.
• Provide work direction and mentorship to postdoctoral appointees, research assistants, students, and technical staff.
• Execute all activities in compliance with Argonne's safety policies, Safeguards and Security policies, work rules, and safe practices.

Position Requirements

• Completed Ph.D. in Computer Science, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field, and a minimum of 4+ years of related experience.
• Proven research track record in deploying automated and autonomous platforms and AI/ML toward accelerating science.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate scientific problems relevant to the DOE portfolio.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal and external collaborators to achieve established goals.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment and provide scientific guidance to a diverse research community.
• Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.