Automation Engineer
Periodic Labs
Menlo Park, CA · Posted October 1, 2026
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Where Menlo Park, CA ranks
Where Menlo Park, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #5Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the West Coast32% · of 71
- #6Best cities for financial services pay after cost of living$164k · of 33
- #6Best cities for AI-skill jobs32% · of 100
- #7Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the West Coast21% · of 54
- #11Best all-round cities for AI careers in the West Coast75 / 100 · of 39
- #12Best cities for pay after cost of living in California$169k · of 32
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among engineers, all other is little observed so far. Measured exposure for engineers, all other: 7% (little observed).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
We’re an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond. Backed by world-class investors and growing rapidly, we operate at the pace the frontier requires. Our team brings deep expertise, genuine ownership, and an insatiable drive to push the boundaries of what’s scientifically possible.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Join our team of scientists and engineers building a lab where AI and automation speed up materials discovery.
We’re building an autonomous lab to speed up materials discovery, and we need someone who loves making instruments, robots, and data systems run together smoothly. As our Automation Engineer, you’ll turn scientific workflows into working software and integrations by designing clear data models, connecting instruments and automation to our lab information systems, and making sure everything stays in sync, safely, and reliably.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Collaborate with bench scientists to translate experiments and lab workflows into clear integration specs and data models.
- Work with integrators to design and build automated workcells for materials R&D.
- Build and maintain services that connect instruments and robots to lab information systems.
- Develop instrument drivers that automate lab workflows by generating command sequences and invoking vendor API/SDK methods.
- Collaborate with AI and data scientists to tightly integrate the autonomous lab with AI models for analysis and planning of experiments.
YOU WILL THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE
- BS in EE/CS/ME/Controls or equivalent.
- 5+ years in lab automation, integration, or industrial automation software.
- Hands-on experience with robotic lab automation systems.
- Strong experience with scripting/programming (Python preferred).
- Familiarity with APIs, databases, and enterprise software integration.
- Hands-on experience with information management and execution systems, such as LIMS or MES.
ESPECIALLY STRONG CANDIDATES MAY ALSO HAVE
- Experience with containers, CI/CD, and Git-based workflows.
- Background in lab informatics or scientific data management.
MECHANICS
- Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or similar experience
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Compensation: $200,000-$250,000 + equity
- Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas.