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Process Engineer, Powder

Periodic Labs· Science
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Menlo Park, CA$225k - $300kFull-timePosted 5mo ago

About the role

Process Engineer to own the end-to-end workflow of the powder synthesis lab, working across dispensing, mixing, pressing, reaction, recovery, and characterization to enable high-mix, fast-moving research with trustworthy data and increasing throughput.

Responsibilities

  • Own the powder synthesis workflow end-to-end — dispensing, mixing, pressing, reaction, recovery, and characterization — ensuring the process runs smoothly as throughput and complexity grow
  • Map failure modes across the full process flow and design comprehensive systems and controls so failures either don’t happen or are caught and recovered quickly
  • Apply statistical process control (SPC) and systems thinking to track key process inputs and outputs, identify drift, and bring processes into a stable, predictable state
  • Troubleshoot and diagnose equipment issues across the lab — dispensing heads, reaction chambers, characterization tools — and drive root-cause investigations to durable fixes
  • Investigate data integrity issues across the toolchain, including cases where equipment dispenses correctly but uploads data incorrectly, and partner with software and infra to adjust scripts and instrumentation
  • Design operator-facing workflows that prevent sample mix-ups and reduce variation introduced by human handoffs
  • Run design of experiments (DOE) to identify which recipe and process factors most impact outcomes, and use structured methodologies to converge efficiently
  • Partner with research scientists, lab engineers, and software teams to translate lessons from the manual lab into requirements for the automated, full-scale lab
  • Establish quality and reliability practices that scale with us — process documentation, control plans, and feedback loops between operators, scientists, and the data systems

Qualifications

  • A degree in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field, with hands-on experience in solid-state chemistry, ceramics, or powder processing
  • Experience as a process engineer (or closely adjacent role) in a high-mix R&D, pilot, or manufacturing environment — ideally with deliberate recipe variation and strict process discipline
  • Strong systems thinking — ability to break down unfamiliar processes into inputs/outputs/unit operations and model internal behavior
  • Working knowledge of SPC, Six Sigma or Lean concepts, and DOE; comfortable using JMP or Minitab
  • Hands-on familiarity with characterization techniques for powders and ceramics (e.g., XRD, SEM) and high-temperature processing of ceramic materials
  • Comfort with equipment troubleshooting and hands-on approach to data, workflows, and tooling
  • Some computer savvy — ability to read/modify scripts, validate data flows, and collaborate with software engineers for instrumentation/data pipelines
  • Strong ownership, bias for action, and judgment on stabilizing vs redesigning processes
  • Clear communication and ability to work cross-functionally with researchers, operators, vendors, and software teams

Skills

Required:Powder synthesis workflow managementSPC / statistical process controlDOE (Design of Experiments)Root-cause analysis / troubleshootingData integrity and data pipeline collaborationLaboratory operations designCross-functional collaboration
Nice to have:Characterization techniques (XRD/SEM)
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Periodic Labs

From bits to atoms.

Periodic Labs is an artificial intelligence research company pioneering the next leap in scientific discovery. We operate at the intersection of machine learning and scientific experimentation under the thesis that that true understanding of the universe is only possible by interacting and experimenting on it.

artificial intelligencescientific discoverymachine learningscientific experimentation
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