Platform Scientist, Soft Materials

What You'll Be Building

• Collaborate with diverse scientific teams to ideate new experimental strategies for soft and complex materials, including formulations, colloids, polymers, gels, and biological or hybrid systems
• Lead conceptual development of characterization and performance workflows leveraging techniques such as SAXS, SANS, rheology, and formulation performance assays
• Design, prototype, and validate custom apparatus, experimental methods, and software tools to realize these concepts
• Develop and refine workflows that connect structure, dynamics, and performance across multiple length and time scales
• Transfer successful prototypes into production-ready systems within Lila’s AI Science Factory platform, enabling autonomous experimentation

What You'll Need to Succeed

• MS or PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, with a focus on soft or complex materials
• Demonstrated experience collaborating across scientific disciplines to generate and refine experimental concepts
• Hands-on experience with one or more of the following: SAXS, SANS, rheology, formulation performance or functional assays
• Experience designing and implementing custom experimental workflows and/or scientific software
• Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, C++, or similar) applied to data analysis, automation, or experiment control
• Excellent communication skills and comfort operating in a fast-paced, exploratory R&D environment

Bonus Points For

• Experience with lab automation, high-throughput experimentation, or instrument control software
• Background in formulation science (e.g., consumer products, coatings, energy materials, bio-soft matter)
• Experience linking scattering, rheological, and performance data to predictive or ML-driven models
• Familiarity with prototyping tools such as 3D printing, machining, microfluidics, or custom sample environments
• Industry or national lab experience working on soft materials or complex fluids

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.

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

Lila Sciences 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.

U.S. Benefits

• 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
• 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.

Expected Base Salary Range

$108,000 - $150,000 USD