Senior Software Engineer (Python)

TL;DR

Senior Software Engineer (Python): Leading the development of the MADSci framework to orchestrate autonomous scientific laboratories with an accent on microservices architecture, system integration, and high-performance data pipelines. Focus on building robust software abstractions for robotics and AI-driven experiments to accelerate discovery in materials science and biosciences.

Location: Must be based in Lemont, IL, US (On-site)

Salary: $94,486–$147,398 per year

Company

Argonne National Laboratory is a multidisciplinary research center that drives scientific discovery and innovation through large-scale collaborative projects.

What you will do

• Lead the day-to-day development of the MADSci framework, including feature design, bug resolution, and release management.
• Architect a Python-based microservices system for workflow orchestration, event logging, and device integration.
• Collaborate with scientists and robotics engineers to translate experimental goals into production-quality software.
• Maintain and grow the open-source contributor community through issue triaging and technical representation.
• Operate and improve production deployments in active autonomous laboratories, ensuring system observability and reliability.
• Mentor early-career staff and students while contributing to technical documentation and scientific publications.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience or Master's with 3+ years in computer science or a related field.
• Proficiency in modern Python (3.10+) with experience in type-annotated code and automated testing.
• Practical experience with production-quality software lifecycles, including Git, CI/CD, and semantic versioning.
• Familiarity with web service frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, Flask) and REST API design.
• Working knowledge of relational/document databases and containerized deployment (Docker).
• Strong communication skills for collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams and non-software domain experts.

Nice to have

• Experience with microservice patterns, Pydantic, and ORM frameworks like SQLAlchemy.
• Background in robotics, lab automation, or scientific workflow systems (e.g., Parsl, Snakemake).
• Familiarity with frontend development (Vue 3, TypeScript) for dashboard features.
• Experience with observability tools like OpenTelemetry and distributed tracing.
• Contributions to open-source projects or federally funded scientific software.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and retirement plans.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge autonomous discovery and AI-driven scientific research.
• Collaborative environment fostering innovation across DOE laboratories and industry partners.
• Commitment to a safe, inclusive, and welcoming workplace.