Scientist II, Mechanics & Extreme Materials

Responsibilities

• Drive strategy for closed-loop campaigns on anti-wear and anti-corrosion materials
• Develop, execute, and optimize characterization and testing workflows for extreme environment materials
• Collaborate with experimentalists, systems engineers, and ML scientists to integrate characterization outputs into autonomous workflows
• Lead experimental design and analysis to extract key materials properties for ML training
• Troubleshoot characterization workflows and instrumentation to sustain high-throughput performance
• Maintain accurate laboratory records and ensure compliance with safety standards

Requirements

• PhD in Materials Science, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
• 3+ years post-PhD or industry experience
• Proficiency in nanoindentation-based mechanical characterization of thin films and bulk materials
• Expertise in microstructural characterization using SEM, TEM, and EBSD
• Track record developing anti-wear or anti-corrosion materials
• Strong grounding in physical metallurgy and ceramics science
• Ability to interpret structure-property relationships for experimental design

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-throughput or autonomous experimental workflows
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis and workflow automation
• Exposure to coating deposition and bulk alloy synthesis techniques
• Experience with ML-guided experimental design or active learning frameworks
• Familiarity with CALPHAD modeling (Thermo-Calc, Pandat)
• Background in extreme-environment materials testing

About the Company

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously.