Co-Op, Automated Systems Engineer

Location: Cambridge, MA USA Department: Autonomous Science Platform

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is looking for a hands-on engineering co-op to help build and test the automated systems that run our laboratory workflows. Reporting to a senior manager on the Automated Systems Engineering team and paired with a day-to-day mentor, you will work alongside engineers and scientists on real workcells that are being deployed.

This is a lab-floor role. You will spend your time integrating instruments and troubleshooting systems that run live experiments. By the end of the co-op you should own a meaningful piece of a system and understand how scientific goals turn into working hardware.

Along the way you will see how scientific objectives become scoped technical requirements, how science, hardware, controls, and software teams coordinate interfaces on a shared system, and how automated experiments generate the structured, high-quality data that feeds AI-driven experimental design. You will also get hands-on time with emerging lab technology, including machine vision, advanced sensors, and automated scheduling software.

What You'll Be Building

Support cross-functional requirements gathering and project documentation using established team templates and execution guidelines.

Assist in converting manual scientific protocols into automation concept designs through process mapping, step timing, and identification of automation candidates.

Research new instruments and technologies, and help evaluate them for physical integration capability and fit with scientific workflows.

Contribute to concept design documentation, system architecture diagrams, and interface definitions for workcell- and instrument-level projects.

Maintain and update the federated factory layout model, producing layout drawings and 3D models that account for robotics envelopes, human ergonomics, and hazard zones.

Support feasibility assessments for proposed automation opportunities and help document lab automation best practices and lessons learned.

What You'll Need to Succeed

Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Robotics, or Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, or a related field

Available for a full-time co-op term (typically 4 to 6 months) on-site in Cambridge

Working knowledge of Python through coursework, projects, or prior internships

Curiosity, attention to detail, and willingness to ask questions and work through unfamiliar problems

Clear communication and comfort working with people across different technical backgrounds

Bonus Points For

Wet lab exposure through coursework, undergraduate research, or a prior role involving pipetting, sample handling, or assay work

Familiarity with CAD and some experience with rapid prototyping or 3D printing

Experience with automated liquid handlers (Hamilton, Tecan, Opentrons) or robotic arms

Coursework or project experience with control systems, PID loops, or microcontrollers

Prior robotics competition, research lab, or iGEM-style team experience

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.