Co-Op, Characterization Electrodeposited Material

Lila Sciences is hiring a co-op to join the Materials Science team within the Autonomous Science Platform. You will characterize electrodeposited metal films and develop the measurement methods that make those results repeatable. Deposition is handled by other scientists on the team; your focus is measurement, method development, and data quality.

The role spans electrical, surface, structural, and mechanical techniques: four-point probe for sheet resistance and resistivity, laser confocal metrology for thickness, step height, and roughness, XRD and EBSD for phase, texture, and grain structure, and hardness testing for mechanical properties. Much of the work is standing these methods up: defining sample prep, acquisition settings, and acceptance criteria so results hold across operators and sample batches.

You will work alongside scientists and engineers in a lab built for high-throughput, automated experimentation, and your protocols will feed directly into how these measurements get scaled.

• Develop sample prep and measurement protocols for general characterization tools on electrodeposited films: four-point probe, hardness testing, and SEM/EBSD.
• Prepare samples for SEM and EBSD (mounting, polishing, surface cleanup)
• Run four-point probe, laser confocal metrology, and hardness measurements
• Analyze XRD data (phase ID, texture, peak shift, crystallite size) and EBSD data (grain size, orientation, texture)
• Validate measurement repeatability and establish data quality criteria
• Analyze and visualize characterization data, then document methods and failure modes

• Pursuing a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical/Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Hands-on experience operating materials characterization instruments in a lab
• Hands-on experience with hardness testing (micro- or nano-indentation, or others)
• Hands-on experience with metallographic or SEM sample prep
• Experience analyzing XRD data
• Working knowledge of thin films, metal microstructure, or surface metrology
• Careful experimental technique and detailed record keeping
• Available for the full Spring co-op term, January through May

• Master's or PhD candidates preferred
• Python for data analysis and visualization
• Experience analyzing EBSD data (e.g., MTEX, OIM, AZtec Crystal)
• Hands-on SEM and/or FIB experience
• Direct experience with four-point probe, optical profilometry, or laser confocal systems
• Familiarity with electrodeposited metals or electrochemical materials processing
• Experience developing or qualifying a new measurement method (e.g., gauge R&R)
• Exposure to automated or high-throughput laboratory workflows

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.

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.

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