Hiring: Automation Scientist Company: Caltech Location: Pasadena, CA Job Posted Time: 2026-09-15 14:41:45 Employment Type: Remote Target Skills & Keywords : Node.js About the job Experience: •Ph.D. in chemistry, materials science, structural biology, chemical engineering, physics, or a related field plus 1 year of related experience (or Master's Degree with at least 3 years of related experience). Required Skills: •Design, build, and validate automated and semi-autonomous electron microscopy and sample-preparation workflows, including closed-loop, active-learning strategies that improve hit rates with less human intervention. •Express experimental logic as reviewable protocols and machine-readable specifications, and establish the acceptance criteria, calibration routines, validation standards, and failure/recovery definitions that make a remotely executed experiment trustworthy. •Analyze and interpret experimental datasets, and curate high-quality datasets, including metadata and failure cases, to inform workflow design and support AI-driven experiment design and cross-node standards. •Partner cross-functionally with the team to translate experimental logic into instrument-control routines, scheduling constraints, and user-facing interfaces, and co-develop common experimental-design and laboratory protocols with counterparts at other PCL nodes. •Provide expert technical support to onboarded users, on-site and remote, helping them translate scientific questions into executable ELECTRA experiments. •Contribute to recruitment and onboarding workshops, user documentation, and facility tours; mentor students and junior staff; and contribute to publications and technical reports. Qualifications: •Track record of publishing work. •Applied hands-on capability in a structural characterization method. •Proficiency in coding and data processing. •Strong collaboration and written communication skills, and genuine interest in supporting users at institutions with fewer resources than ours. •Electron diffraction experience, including low-dose data collection and sample preparation. •Fluency with crystallography pipelines (XDS, DIALS, CCP4, PHENIX, SHELX, or equivalents). •Robotic sample handling or liquid-handling automation. Compensation: •$79,700 - $112,500 / year •Flexible work environment (work from home / hybrid options) •Competitive benefits and rewards package •$79,700 - $112,500 Per Year •The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. Interested candidates, please apply directly through the job posting on company's career page or try via AI auto apply on this platform. Don't miss this opportunity to join a forward-thinking team!