We're an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond. Backed by world-class investors and growing rapidly, we operate at the pace the frontier requires. Our team brings deep expertise, genuine ownership, and an insatiable drive to push the boundaries of what's scientifically possible.
About the Role
Join our team of scientists and engineers building a lab where AI and automation speed up materials discovery.
We're building an autonomous lab to speed up materials discovery, and we need someone who understands materials R&D from the inside — someone who's run the experiments, fought with the instruments, and knows what "the workflow" actually means at the bench. As our Research Engineer, you'll work directly with scientists to understand what they're trying to learn, then translate that into the hardware setups, instrument sequences, and engineering requirements that make it possible to automate.
What You'll Do
- Work closely with bench scientists to understand experimental goals and turn them into concrete hardware and workflow requirements.
- Evaluate, select, and configure lab instrumentation and hardware to support new and existing materials R&D workflows.
- Design experimental and automation workflows that hold up to the realities of materials synthesis and characterization.
- Serve as the technical bridge between scientists and the automation/software engineering team, making sure integration specs reflect how the science actually works.
- Troubleshoot instrument and workflow issues that require materials domain knowledge to diagnose.
- Collaborate with AI and data scientists to help shape how experimental data is structured and used for analysis and planning.
You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent research experience).
- Strong working knowledge of common materials lab hardware (e.g. furnaces, fluid/gas handling manifolds, characterization tools, synthesis equipment) and the workflows built around them.
- Ability to communicate fluently with both scientists and engineers, and to translate scientific intent into clear technical requirements.
- Comfort writing Python to interact with instruments, manipulate experimental data, and prototype automation workflows
Especially Strong Candidates May Also Have
- Prior experience working alongside automation or software engineers.
- Experience with electronic lab notebooks, LIMS, or other lab data systems.
- A track record of designing or adapting experimental protocols for higher-throughput or automated execution.
Mechanics
- Minimum education: PhD or equivalent combination of education and hands-on research experience
- Location: Menlo Park, CA (Soon: San Francisco, too)
- Compensation: $200,000-$250,000 + equity
- Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Science
29 days ago
Research Engineer - Midtraining
Periodic Labs · Menlo Park, California, United States
We're an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond. Backed by world-class investors and growing rapidly, we operate at the pace the frontier requires. Our team brings deep expertise, genuine ownership, and a drive to push the boundaries of what's scientifically possible.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We're training frontier models to develop deep scientific knowledge and reasoning for scientific discovery. As a Midtraining Research Engineer, you'll take base models and improve their scientific reasoning: curating and generating data, building evals, and running large-scale training experiments. Your work will also lay the groundwork for our pre-training efforts down the line.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Identify, process, and curate novel sources of scientific data for large-scale model training.
- Generate high-quality synthetic data to fill gaps in scientific knowledge and reasoning.
- Build evaluations that correlate with downstream scientific task performance, working closely with RL researchers, physicists, and chemists.
- Develop and apply techniques such as self-distillation and on-policy distillation to improve model capability.
- Design and run large-scale training experiments, partnering with supercompute engineers to scale efficiently across thousands of GPUs.
- Build tools for yourself and the team to investigate how data choices shape model intelligence.
YOU WILL THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE
- Experience training LLMs on curated mixes of trillions of tokens.
- Experience on a dedicated evals team supporting a large production training run.
- Hands-on use of self-distillation, on-policy distillation, or similar methods in a real training pipeline.
- Experience with scaling laws and compute-optimal hyperparameters.
- Comfort working across data, evals, and training infrastructure.
ESPECIALLY STRONG CANDIDATES MAY ALSO HAVE
- Experience optimizing throughput and reliability for large-scale distributed training runs.
- A background in AI for science or training on specialized domain data (e.g., protein, materials, or other scientific datasets).
- Experience creating evals or synthetic data for non verifiable tasks and tracking performance over live runs.
MECHANICS
- Minimum education: Bachelor's degree or similar experience
- Location: Menlo Park, CA (Soon: San Francisco, too)
- Compensation: $250,000–$350,000 + equity
- Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything we can to assist in this process.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Engineering
30 days ago
Mechanical Engineer
Periodic Labs · Menlo Park, California, United States
Periodic Labs is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to help build the environment where materials scientists work alongside AI agents to plan experiments, run analyses, coordinate workflows, and turn results into decisions.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Engineering
30 days ago
Mechanical Engineer
Periodic Labs · Menlo Park, California, United States
Periodic Labs is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to help build the environment where materials scientists work alongside AI agents to plan experiments, run analyses, coordinate workflows, and turn results into decisions.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Engineering
32 days ago
Research Engineer, Semiconductor
Periodic Labs · Menlo Park, California, United States
We’re an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond. Backed by world-class investors and growing rapidly, we operate at the pace the frontier requires. Our team brings deep expertise, genuine ownership, and an insatiable drive to push the boundaries of what’s scientifically possible.
About the Role
As a Research Engineer, Semiconductor, you’ll own device-level validation of our materials work, taking novel thin-film stacks from deposition through patterned test vehicles to measure electrical performance. You’ll design and run short-loop experiments that demonstrate how materials and interfaces translate into device behavior, leveraging both internal and external lab resources. You’ll also contribute technical expertise to customer-facing engagements, and this role blends deep hands-on capability with the flexibility to work across teams and partners to solve hard materials problems.
What You’ll Do
Design, fabricate, and characterize short-loop device test vehicles that demonstrate material and device performance against clear electrical targets.
Build patterned devices end-to-end using photolithography, direct-write laser lithography, or e-beam lithography, integrated with deposition, etch, and metrology.
Deposit thin-film stacks with engineered, complex interfaces using PVD, PLD, MBE, and ALD/CVD techniques.
Perform electrical characterization on probe stations, and design and build custom measurement test benches where commercial tools fall short.
Connect materials and interface properties to device outcomes, feeding insights back into film-stack and process development.
Contribute technical expertise to customer-facing engagements, translating customer needs into experimental plans and results.
Document experimental methodology, results, and learnings to feed both internal knowledge and AI training infrastructure.
You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have
MS or PhD in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, plus relevant industry experience.
Semiconductor industry experience in device development or process integration, background at an IDM, foundry, or memory manufacturer strongly preferred.
Strong command of device physics and integration flows, with a track record of demonstrating device performance in short-loop test vehicles.
Hands-on fabrication experience spanning lithography (photo, laser direct-write, or e-beam), thin-film deposition, etch, and metrology.
A deep understanding of how materials selection and interface quality drive device performance.
Proficiency in probe-station device measurement, plus the ability to architect and assemble custom electrical test setups.
A strong condensed matter physics foundation, spintronics, magnetic materials, or quantum phenomena, is a plus.
Working knowledge of emerging memory and logic device architectures is a plus.
Startup-ready mindset: able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while implementing industry-standard best practices.
Mechanics
Minimum education: Master’s degree with relevant experience
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Compensation: $220k - $300k + equity
Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything we can to assist in this process with our legal support.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
As a Research Engineer, Semiconductor, you’ll own device-level validation of our materials work, taking novel thin-film stacks from deposition through patterned test vehicles to measure electrical performance.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Technician · Contract
35 days ago
Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Technician - contract to hire
Periodic Labs is building an autonomous laboratory for high-throughput materials discovery. Our work combines advanced chemistry, robotics, automation, AI, and materials science to accelerate scientific discovery while maintaining high standards of environmental, health, and process safety.
We are seeking a hands-on, highly organized EHS Technician to support day-to-day laboratory safety operations, hazardous waste management, chemical inventory, compliance activities, and laboratory readiness.
The Role
Working closely with the EHS Engineer, Facilities team, scientists, and technicians, you will help execute the laboratory’s EHS programs and keep the facility safe, compliant, organized, and inspection-ready.
Responsibilities
Receive, inspect, label, inventory, and properly store incoming chemicals and compressed gases.
Maintain accurate chemical inventory, SDS, hazard classification, and storage-location records in the laboratory inventory or LIMS system.
Monitor chemical, compressed-gas, PPE, spill-response, and other EHS supply inventories and reorder as needed.
Collect, label, package, move, and stage hazardous waste, including flammable solvents, corrosives, toxic and heavy-metal waste, pyrophoric and reactive waste, universal waste, electronic waste, sharps, used oil, vacuum pump oil, and contaminated PPE.
Change satellite waste containers and support handling of larger containers, including 55-gallon drums, using approved procedures and equipment.
Maintain satellite and central accumulation areas, ensuring containers are closed, compatible, properly labeled and dated, and managed within applicable storage limits.
Coordinate hazardous waste pickups with disposal vendors and maintain manifests, profiles, disposal records, and related documentation.
Perform routine laboratory safety inspections and compliance audits; document findings, assign or track corrective actions, and verify closure.
Inspect and maintain spill kits, eyewash stations, safety showers, first aid supplies, fire extinguishers, oxygen monitors, gas detection equipment, PPE stations, emergency signage, and evacuation routes.
Support gas detector bump testing, calibration coordination, maintenance records, and user training.
Coordinate EHS onboarding, required safety training, respirator medical evaluations and fit testing, and other employee safety programs.
Support regulatory, fire department, insurance, and internal inspections, including preparation of records and follow-up actions.
Collect wastewater, process water, air, wipe, or other environmental samples and coordinate testing with external laboratories.
Support chemical inventory reconciliation, CERS reporting, regulatory documentation, laboratory cleanouts, equipment moves, shutdowns, and decommissioning.
Maintain strong laboratory housekeeping and proactively identify safety, storage, labeling, or compliance issues before they affect operations.
Qualifications
Associate degree, technical certification, bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience in EHS, chemistry, environmental science, occupational health, industrial technology, or a related field.
At least 1–2 years of experience in laboratory operations, hazardous waste, chemical management, industrial EHS, semiconductor, biotechnology, manufacturing, or a related technical environment.
Familiarity with laboratory chemical handling, hazard compatibility, and hazardous waste management.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and comfort maintaining accurate records.
Able to safely move containers, handle supplies, and work throughout an active laboratory environment.
Comfortable working independently while coordinating closely with scientists, engineers, vendors, and regulators.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with RCRA and California hazardous waste requirements, including DTSC, CUPA, or CERS.
Experience with chemical inventory systems, environmental sampling, DOT hazardous-materials requirements, or TSDF coordination.
HAZWOPER, CPR/First Aid, forklift, pallet jack, or related safety training.
Experience supporting semiconductor, advanced materials, chemical, or research laboratories.
Mechanics
Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or similar experience
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Compensation: $96,000-$124,000 + equity
We’re building a team of the world’s best - the scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers who don’t just follow the frontier, they define it. If you’re driven to bring AI to life in the physical world and make discoveries that have never been made before, you belong here.
Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
Instrumentation & Controls - Technician/Electrician
Location
Menlo Park, CA
Employment Type
Full time
Location Type
On-site
Department
Science
Overview
Application
About Periodic Labs
Periodic Labs is building an autonomous laboratory for high-throughput materials discovery. Our work combines advanced chemistry, robotics, automation, AI, and materials science to accelerate scientific discovery while maintaining high standards of environmental, health, and process safety.
We are seeking a hands-on, I&C technician who enjoys working with materials, instrumentation, electro-/mechanical systems, and characterization tools - someone who values precision, documentation, and evolving lab processes.
Responsibilities
Provide electrical, instrumentation, and controls technician support to lead engineers, scientific, and technical staff, utilizing hand and CAD tools where design parameters and specifications have been established
Build and manage large, complex electrical CAD assemblies for custom electrical equipment and fixtures, electrical enclosures, and instrumentation/hardware from engineer-provided concepts, sketches, and verbal direction
Perform interference checks, fit studies, and assembly verification to identify issues before fabrication
Produce detailed 2D engineering drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing
Generate accurate bills of materials (BOMs), drawing packages, cut sheets, and RFQ-ready documentation to support procurement and fabrication
Perform basic calculations using standard engineering formulas to support dimensioning, fitment, and material selection
Interpret electrical drawings and other technical information
Maintain systems documentation, bill-of-materials, and drawing archives to keep documentation current, visible, and traceable
Manage CAD file organization, naming conventions, and revision control
Incorporate redlines and design changes from engineers, updating models and drawings through revision cycles
Qualifications & Skills
Required:
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent lab experience) in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, or related field (or strong background in mechatronics, electronics, solid‑state, materials processing, inorganic chemistry)
Hands‑on instrumentation & controls experience, preferably low-voltage (24VDC) wiring and controls enclosure fabrication
Experience in wiring and integrating mass flow controllers (MFCs), pressure transducers, solenoid valves, thermocouples, and various control instrumentation and hardware
Familiarity with AutoCAD (preferably electrical), redlining schematics, and building to print
Experience selecting appropriate electrical supplies, wire/cable, enclosure components (e.g. relays, circuit-breakers, terminal blocks)
Experience with digital multi-meters (DMMs), volt meters, and current measuring devices
Experience with Lock-Out-Tag-Out (LOTO) safety practices and procedures
Strong attention to detail, record‑keeping, and job/task documentation
Comfort with physically wiring various digital and analog input/output devices, lab instrumentation, and controls fieldbuses (e.g., EtherCAT, RS-232/-485, Modbus)
Good documentation skills, ability to follow protocols, and write clear notes/task summaries
Flexibility and ability to adapt to evolving processes and workflows typical of a startup/ research‑oriented lab
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with superconducting / magnetic materials, cryogenic sample handling, and magnetometry or resistivity measurements
Experience with vacuum systems, gloveboxes, and inert atmosphere processing
Familiarity with lab automation, data logging, or LIMS/LES systems integration
Comfort troubleshooting instruments or basic electro-/mechanical maintenance
Familiarity with NFPA70 (NEC), UL508A, or NFPA79
Familiarity with Beckhoff IPCs, input/output modules, and EtherCAT fieldbus
Familiarity with ASME Y14.5 standards
What You’ll Gain
Hands‑on experience working at the cutting edge of materials discovery (superconductors, novel compounds)
Exposure to a broad set of material characterization techniques and workflows (from synthesis to cryogenic measurements)
Opportunity to help build lab SOPs, workflows, and influence lab design and automation controls development/deployment strategy
Collaborative environment with scientists, engineers, and automation experts — good learning and growth potential
Satisfaction of bridging materials science, synthesis, measurement, and data-driven R&D
Hands-on experience designing, fabricating, and troubleshooting cutting-edge electrical systems for laboratory instrumentation and automation
Mechanics
Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or similar experience
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role is $124,000-$153,600
Role Type: Full-time / Contractor
We’re building a team of the world’s best - the scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers who don’t just follow the frontier, they define it. If you’re driven to bring AI to life in the physical world and make discoveries that have never been made before, you belong here.
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Listed by Periodic Labs for a position based in the United States. Employers on this board attest they are hiring domestically.
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