Autonomous Lab Engineer: AI‑Driven Materials Chemistry

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 106,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Energy Geosciences Division, seeks a Project Scientist - Automation Engineer to lead automation development for REACT, an AI-driven materials chemistry laboratory. You will design and integrate instruments, robotic workflows, embedded controls, and software enabling autonomous experimentation in minerals processing, materials synthesis, and chemistry research.

Collaborating with scientists, AI/ML researchers, and software engineers, you will advance the ARC

Qualifications

• Ph.D in a Science or Engineering discipline.
• At least 3 years of demonstrated experience as a core hardware and automation engineer for autonomous or self-driving laboratory systems.
• Proven track record of inventing and building custom scientific instruments and robotic equipment for autonomous research workflows.
• Hands-on experience designing and constructing electrical control panels in accordance with UL and/or IEC standards; QEW certification or equivalent required.
• proficiency in embedded systems development using microcontrollers (Arduino, ATmega328p, ESP32, Raspberry Pi) and PLC programming (Ladder logic, C, C++).
• Strong software development skills in Python and C++ for laboratory automation, including multi-threaded GUI development.

Responsibilities

• Hardware Design & Integration: Design, build, and integrate custom scientific instruments and robotic systems for autonomous materials and chemistry workflows.
• Control Systems: Develop electrical control systems for safe operation of high-temperature, cryogenic, and aqueous environments.
• Software Development: Develop embedded software, firmware, and user interfaces for instrumentation, robotics, sensors, and data acquisition.
• Robotics: Integrate collaborative robots with custom hardware to enable end-to-end autonomous experimentation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with scientists, AI/ML researchers, and software engineers to translate scientific requirements into automated, AI-driven laboratory systems.
• Safety & Compliance: Design fault-tolerant hardware and software with focus on chemical, thermal, and robotic safety.
• Vendor Management: Define technical specifications and provide engineering guidance to external equipment vendors.
• Support procurement activities by developing statements of work, evaluating vendor proposals, design reviews, and verifying delivered equipment against requirements.
• Promote reusable engineering solutions and knowledge sharing across autonomous laboratory projects.

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Energy Geosciences Division, seeks a Project Scientist - Automation Engineer to lead automation development for REACT, an AI-driven materials chemistry laboratory. You will design and integrate instruments, robotic workflows, embedded controls, and software enabling autonomous experimentation in minerals processing, materials synthesis, and chemistry research.

Collaborating with scientists, AI/ML researchers, and software engineers, you will advance the ARC