Co-op, Mechatronics Engineer

Location: Cambridge, MA USA Department: Autonomous Science Platform

Your Impact at LILA

Lila is seeking a Co-op, Mechatronics Engineer to join the Hardware & Controls Engineering team in Alewife for the January through May term. You will work on the systems that make autonomous science possible: automated workcells, custom instrumentation, sensing hardware, motion systems, and integrated lab equipment.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who wants to build real hardware in a fast-moving R&D environment. You will move between mechanical design, electrical integration, prototyping, testing, documentation, and troubleshooting, working alongside engineers and scientists to turn lab needs into reliable engineering systems.

Your work will support the next generation of lab automation at Lila, helping improve the reliability, scalability, and performance of systems used across our scientific programs. You will leave the term with practical experience across the full mechatronics stack, from concept and CAD through build, test, and iteration.

What You'll Be Building

Design and build mechanical and electromechanical components for automated lab systems.

Support integration of sensors, actuators, motion systems, and control hardware.

Create CAD models, drawings, prototypes, fixtures, and test setups.

Assemble, debug, and iterate on hardware for workcells and custom instrumentation.

Run tests, document results, and communicate design changes clearly.

Collaborate with engineers and scientists to translate lab workflows into reliable systems.

Contribute to improvements that increase system reliability, usability, and maintainability.

What You'll Need to Succeed

Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field.

Experience with CAD design, prototyping, fabrication, or hands-on engineering projects.

Foundational understanding of mechanical systems, electrical systems, sensors, actuators, or controls.

Comfortable building, testing, debugging, and documenting physical systems.

Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail in hands-on technical work.

Clear communication skills and ability to collaborate across engineering and scientific teams.

Curiosity about lab automation, instrumentation, robotics, or autonomous science.

Bonus Points For

Experience with SolidWorks or another parametric CAD tool.

Exposure to electrical wiring, instrumentation, controls, or data acquisition systems.

Experience with robotics, lab automation, industrial automation, or motion systems.

Familiarity with 3D printing, machining, sheet metal, or rapid prototyping methods.

Previous internship, co-op, lab, project team, or R&D 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.