Robotics Engineer, Adaptive Autonomous Labs Onsite (Watertown, MA)

S27a; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Job summary

Cultivarium is seeking a Robotics Engineer to own and expand our robotics capabilities, turning experimental protocols into automated workflows and collaborating with software engineers, hardware developers, and external partners.

You will build reusable, well-documented software that integrates robotic arms, instruments, cameras, and sensors, applying computer vision and AI tools to enhance monitoring, autonomy, and reliability across platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in robotics, CS, EE, or ME.
• Hands-on experience programming, integrating, operating, and troubleshooting robotic systems.
• Strong Python skills and hardware control via robotics frameworks or APIs; Linux, Git, and collaborative development.

Responsibilities

• Own Cultivarium's robotics systems, from integration to daily operation and troubleshooting.
• Turn scientific protocols into safe, reliable automated workflows that run for hours or days with minimal supervision.
• Build reusable software connecting robotic arms, instruments, cameras, and sensors across platforms.
• Apply computer vision and AI tools to improve monitoring, decision-making, and autonomy.

Skills

Python programming

Coordinate frames

Calibration

Motion planning

Computer vision

AI perception methods

Automation

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in robotics, computer science, electrical or mechanical engineering

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Vendor SDKs

Serial protocols

REST APIs

Job description

Who we are

Cultivarium builds scientific tools that turn biological discovery into real-world capability. As a Frontier Research Contractor, we provide technical solutions and hands-on support to partners working on the problems of today. Born a Focused Research Organization, we are drawn to the hardest technological problems in biology and built to tackle them with intensity. We prize builders who efficiently leverage resources to deliver tangible solutions at the frontier, for outsized societal benefit. Our ambition is to study and engineer non-model organisms across the entire tree of life.

What we are looking for

We're looking for a Robotics Engineer to own and expand Cultivarium's robotics capabilities. You'll work with experimentalists to turn scientific protocols into automated workflows, collaborating with software engineers, hardware developers, and external partners. A successful candidate brings strong engineering judgment, hands-on troubleshooting skills, and a drive to deploy robotics for daily research. You'll expand the experiments our systems can perform, make them easier for scientists to operate independently, and build reusable capabilities that work across robotics platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Own Cultivarium's robotics systems, from integration and workflow development to daily operation and troubleshooting.

• Work with experimentalists to prioritize automation needs and turn scientific protocols into safe, reliable workflows that run for hours or days with minimal supervision.

• Build reusable, tested, well-documented software connecting robotic arms, instruments, cameras, and sensors across platforms, reducing dependence on individual vendors.

• Apply computer vision, vision-language models, and other AI tools to improve monitoring, decision-making, and autonomy.

• Improve reliability through calibration, validation, monitoring, and automated recovery. Track workflow success, manual intervention, and utilization to guide improvements.

• Apply human-factors engineering to help scientists operate robotics independently, combining intuitive interfaces with clear operating procedures and training.

• Lead technical collaboration with vendors and hardware developers: evaluate platforms, define requirements, resolve issues, validate integrations, and support deployment at additional sites.

• Communicate plans, tradeoffs, and results clearly. Bring high agency and high standards: take ownership, give and receive candid feedback, and help the team deliver excellent science.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's in robotics, computer science, electrical or mechanical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Hands-on experience programming, integrating, operating, and troubleshooting robotic systems in a laboratory, research, manufacturing, or similar environment.

• Strong Python skills and experience controlling hardware through robotics frameworks or device APIs, with comfort using Linux, Git, and collaborative development practices.

• Understanding of coordinate frames, calibration, motion planning, sensing, end effectors, and safe operation; ability to troubleshoot across software, hardware, networking, and physical workflows.

• Experience applying computer vision, vision-language models, or related AI perception methods to physical automation, plus experience using AI coding tools or building agentic systems.

• Ability to turn user needs into working automation, prioritize competing demands, resolve ambiguous technical problems, and improve solutions through operational feedback.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills across scientists, engineers, and external partners. Interest in biology and willingness to learn experimental protocols; prior biology experience is not required.

• Authorized to work in the U.S.

Advanced Qualifications:

• Experience automating scientific protocols with liquid handlers, collaborative robot arms, integrated workcells, and associated instruments or peripherals.

• Experience supporting long-running, unattended robotic workflows, including monitoring, automated recovery, testing, and quantitative reliability assessment.

• Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, vendor SDKs, serial protocols, REST APIs, or message-based control systems, particularly across multiple hardware platforms.

• Experience designing interfaces and workflow tools that make complex hardware accessible to non-expert users.

• Experience evaluating robotics platforms, managing technical vendor relationships, or commissioning systems across multiple sites.

• Experience working in research or early-stage environments, balancing rapid prototyping with reliable operation as requirements evolve.

We offer:

• An opportunity to refine your craft in service of science and society.

• Paid time off, company holidays, and a year-end closure

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) with employer match

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws or prohibited by Company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.