Platform Scientist, Soft Materials

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is seeking Platform Scientists, Soft Materials Focus to ideate, prototype, and transfer new experimental concepts for AI Science Factories targeting complex and soft material systems. In this role, you will work at the forefront of scientific ideation—partnering with a broad range of chemistry, materials, and AI teams to define new approaches to formulation, structure–property relationships, and performance evaluation. You will translate these concepts into scalable experimental workflows, custom apparatus, and software-enabled systems for autonomous research.

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