Materials R&D Engineer

Atomos Systems; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Atomos Systems in Boulder, CO seeks a hands-on Materials R&D Engineer to develop and validate materials, interfaces, and fabrication approaches for an electrostatic actuator platform. You will directly shape material choices and development strategy in a founding-team environment.

You’ll design experiments, build tests, and collaborate with our microfabrication team to turn concepts into working demonstrations, advancing materials science and device performance.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experimental R&D in materials science, applied physics, or related engineering.
• Ability to design experiments, build apparatus, and interpret results.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis and first-principles thinking.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments to test materials concepts and guide design decisions.
• Develop and evaluate liquid-metal interfaces, coatings, dielectrics, and bonding methods for actuator performance.
• Prototype lab fixtures and collaborate with microfabrication to demonstrate concepts.
• Develop repeatable electrical, mechanical, and surface measurements and analyze failure modes.

Skills

Materials science fundamentals

Experimental design

Data analysis

Lab prototyping

Tools

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

X-ray diffraction (XRD)

Thin film deposition

Microfabrication

Job description

We’re looking for a hands‑on Materials R&D Engineer to develop and validate materials, interfaces, and fabrication approaches for a novel electrostatic actuator platform. This role combines creative experimental design, first-principles calculations, and practical lab work. As an early hire, you will directly shape the materials choices and development strategy.

What You’ll Do

• Experimental Design: Identify key uncertainties, make first-principles estimates, and devise creative experiments to test ideas and guide design decisions.
• Materials Development: Investigate liquid-metal interfaces, surface coatings, thin dielectrics, and bonding methods; connect material properties to actuator performance.
• Lab Prototyping: Prepare samples, build test fixtures, and collaborate with our microfabrication team to turn concepts into working demonstrations.
• Characterization: Develop repeatable measurements of electrical, mechanical, and surface behavior; analyze data, investigate failure modes, and iterate.

Qualifications

• Experience: 3+ years of hands‑on experimental R&D in materials science, applied physics, or a related engineering field.
• Core technical skills:
  • Strong materials science fundamentals, including surface interactions, wetting, adhesion, dielectric behavior, and mechanical properties
  • Practical experience with thin films, surface treatments, eutectic metal solder, polymers, or microfabrication
  • Demonstrated ability to independently design experiments, build apparatus, select measurement techniques, and interpret results
  • Comfort using calculations and quantitative data analysis to evaluate ideas and prioritize experiments
• What we value:
  • Strong problem‑solving abilities with a first-principles approach to complex challenges
  • Clear communication and strong ownership in a startup setting
  • Genuine enthusiasm for robotics and physically intelligent systems
  • A builder mindset: rapid iteration, learning from failure, and shipping real hardware

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience