Platform Scientist I/II, Functional Materials Instrumentation

Lila Sciences, Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 108,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive benefits

Company lunch program

Job summary

Lila Sciences, Inc. in Cambridge, MA, is seeking a Platform Scientist I/II to design and build custom instruments and hardware for functional materials fabrication, characterization, and device testing.

You will integrate instrumentation into autonomous lab and AI-driven workflows, advancing lab capabilities and accelerating programs. Requires PhD or equivalent and hands-on experience with solid-state synthesis, materials characterization, and high-throughput R&D.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent experience in applied physics, materials science, chemistry, or a related field.
• Expertise in functional materials (semiconductor, photonics, superconducting materials, etc.).
• Expertise in solid-state syntheses and characterization for functional materials.
• Proven ability to build and integrate hardware for high-throughput experimentation.
• Experience working in fast, data-driven R&D environments.

Responsibilities

• Establish fabrication and measurement workflows for functional materials.
• Specify, source, assemble, and validate custom synthesis and characterization systems with optical emphasis.
• Lead integration of instrumentation into autonomous lab and AI-driven workflows.
• Diagnose, iterate, and improve instrument designs based on experimental feedback.
• Collaborate with computational, synthesis, and characterization teams to plan next hardware capabilities.

Skills

Functional materials

Solid-state synthesis

Material characterization

Hardware integration

High-throughput experimentation

Education

PhD or equivalent experience in applied physics, materials science, chemistry, or a related field

Tools

CAD

Machining/3D printing

Rapid prototyping

Controls software

AI/ML-driven workflows

Class 4 lasers

Job description

Platform Scientist I/II, Functional Materials Instrumentation

Cambridge, MA USA

Lila Sciences is seeking a Platform Scientist I/II to advance functional materials innovation.

In this role, you will design and integrate custom instruments and specialized hardware, to fabricate, characterize, and test novel functional materials and devices.

This work sits at the intersection of hardware design, materials science, solid-state physics, and automated experimentation. Success means building lab capabilities that accelerate current technical programs and strengthen Lila's platform offering for future customers.

What You'll Be Building

• Establish fabrication and measurement workflows for functional materials.
• Specify, source, assemble, and validate custom synthesis and characterization systems, with an emphasis on optical characterization methods
• Lead integration of instrumentation into autonomous lab and AI-driven experimental workflows.
• Diagnose, iterate, and improve instrument designs based on experimental feedback.
• Partner with computational, synthesis, and characterization teams to define which hardware capabilities to build next.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• PhD or equivalent experience in applied physics, materials science, chemistry, or a related field.
• Scientific domain of expertise in functional materials (semiconductor, photonics, superconducting materials etc.)
• Expertise in solid state syntheses and characterization for functional materials
• Proven ability to build and integrate hardware for novel and high throughput experimentation.
• Ability to work in fast, data-driven, high-throughput R&D environments.

Bonus Points For

• Proficient in writing software for controls, data collection, and analysis.
• CAD, machining/3D printing, and rapid prototyping for custom hardware.
• Knowledge of AI/ML-driven discovery workflows or autonomous lab platforms.
• Experience with class 4 lasers

Compensation

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.

Expected Base Salary Range

$108,000 - $170,000 USD

About LILA

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.

Lila Sciences iscommitted to equal employment opportunityregardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

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