Scientist I/II, Characterization and Composition Analysis
Lila Sciences
$108,000 - $170,000 / year
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Description
Your Impact at LILA
Lila Sciences is seeking a Scientist I/II, Characterization and Composition Analysis to join the Materials Science team within the Autonomous Science Platform. The Autonomous Science Platform combines experimental science, automation, AI, and software to accelerate materials discovery. This role turns elemental measurements into trusted, machine-readable composition data that supports scientific decisions, automated workflows, and model development.
This is a hybrid experimental and software-facing role, centered on hands-on characterization with substantial analyzer development. You will work with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), SEM-based energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), and related analytical instruments. You will develop and validate methods, prepare standards and calibrations, execute measurements, interpret spectra, and troubleshoot issues from instrument, sample-preparation, and data-quality.
You will also design, write, and maintain the analyzer software behind these workflows. Partnering with AI, software, and automation teams, you will build spectral processing, quantification, automated data ingestion, metadata, provenance, and quality-control systems that make characterization outputs reliable, traceable, and useful at scale.
The ideal candidate is credible at both the instrument and the keyboard: strong experimental judgment in elemental characterization, paired with the ability to turn measurement expertise into shared, tested code and production-quality data workflows.
What You'll Be Building
- Own data quality and integrity for elemental and materials characterization workflows.
- Develop XRF, EDS, and WDS methods, calibrations, and QC procedures.
- Prepare standards, run samples, interpret spectra, and troubleshoot measurement issues.
- Lead investigations for anomalous or out-of-specification data and determine data validity.
- Design, write, and maintain analyzer software for spectral processing and quantification in partnership with machine learning team.
- Build automated data ingestion, metadata, provenance, and quality-control workflows.
- Maintain instrument readiness through calibration, documentation, SOPs, and troubleshooting.
- Support safe operation of general materials characterization workflows (profilometry, XRD, SEM).
- Help evaluate, bring online, and develop methods for new analytical detectors as we expand characterization capability.
- Collaborate with hardware, automation, AI, and software teams to scale trusted data generation.
What You'll Need to Succeed
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, or a related field, or M.S. with equivalent hands-on characterization experience.
- Hands-on experience with XRF, SEM-EDS, and WDS for elemental analysis.
- In-depth knowledge of the physical principles behind XRF, EDS, and WDS analysis, including signal generation, matrix effects, calibration, quantification, and common sources of error.
- Strong understanding of calibration, quantification, spectral interpretation, and data-quality control.
- Experience preparing standards, validating methods, and troubleshooting measurement issues.
- Experience writing analysis notebook and maintaining shared, tested code in a version-controlled codebase.
- Proficiency with Python or an equivalent coding environment for data analysis, automation, or analyzer development.
- Ability to translate characterization workflows into reliable, structured, machine-readable data.
- Clear communication skills for working across scientific, AI, automation, and software teams.
Bonus Points For
- Experience with EPMA or related elemental microanalysis workflows.
- Experience with broader characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, optical microscopy, XRD, XPS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, SIMS, or related analytical methods.
- Familiarity with spectral quantification or analysis tools such as fundamental parameter models, PyMCA, DTSA-II, Probe Software, BadgerFilm, or similar packages.
- Experience developing calibration workflows, reference standards, SOPs, or QC systems for analytical instruments.
- Experience building training datasets or automated analysis pipelines from instrument data.
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.
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.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
Benefits
- health insurance
- vision insurance
- stock options
- parental leave
- disability insurance
About this role
Lila Sciences is building an autonomous platform for materials discovery that pairs experimental science with AI and automation. This role sits at the intersection of hands-on analytical chemistry and software development, making you responsible for turning raw elemental measurements into trusted, machine-readable data that feeds both human decisions and automated workflows.
You'll spend substantial time at the bench working with XRF, SEM-EDS, WDS, and related instruments—developing methods, preparing standards, running samples, interpreting spectra, and troubleshooting measurement problems. Equally important, you'll write and maintain the analyzer software that processes spectral data, handles quantification, manages metadata and provenance, and enforces quality control at scale. This hybrid experimental-and-software role requires you to be credible in both domains: strong enough in elemental characterization to know what good data looks like and why it matters, and capable enough as a developer to translate that expertise into tested, production-quality code.
You'll need a PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering (or an M.S. with equivalent hands-on experience), deep knowledge of XRF, EDS, and WDS physics and practice, and solid Python skills for data analysis and automation. Experience preparing and validating standards, troubleshooting instruments, and working in version-controlled codebases is essential. Prior exposure to EPMA, broader characterization techniques, spectral quantification tools, or building calibration and QC systems would strengthen your candidacy. The role is hybrid in Cambridge, MA, with a salary range of $108,000–$170,000 and early-stage equity.
How this employer is doing
solid
- H1B: Sponsors Visas
- Recently Raised Funding
- Sponsors Visas
In the news
Lila Sciences in talks for $2B funding at $8.5B valuation - Bloomberg, Investing.com
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Pay for this role
$108,000 to $170,000 per year
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