Research Engineer (Materials Science)

Location: Menlo Park, California; San Francisco planned

Compensation: $200,000–$250,000 per year plus equity

Company

Periodic Labs is an AI and physical sciences company building models and autonomous laboratory systems to accelerate discoveries in materials, energy, and related fields.

What you will do

• Work with bench scientists to translate experimental goals into hardware and workflow requirements.
• Evaluate, select, and configure laboratory instrumentation for materials research and development.
• Design experimental and automation workflows for materials synthesis and characterization.
• Bridge scientific requirements with automation and software engineering integration specifications.
• Troubleshoot instrument and workflow issues requiring materials science expertise.
• Collaborate with AI and data scientists on experimental data structures, analysis, and planning.

Requirements

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on research experience.
• Strong knowledge of materials laboratory hardware, including furnaces, fluid and gas handling manifolds, characterization tools, and synthesis equipment.
• Ability to communicate with scientists and engineers and translate scientific intent into technical requirements.
• Experience writing Python to interact with instruments, manipulate experimental data, and prototype automation workflows.
• Visa sponsorship is available.

Nice to have

• Experience working with automation or software engineers.
• Experience with electronic lab notebooks, LIMS, or other laboratory data systems.
• Experience adapting experimental protocols for higher-throughput or automated execution.

Culture & Benefits

• Work alongside scientists and engineers on AI-enabled materials discovery.
• Operate in a rapidly growing, frontier-focused research environment.
• Compensation includes equity.
• Support is provided throughout the visa sponsorship process.