Hiring: Software Engineer Company: Caltech Location: Pasadena, CA Job Posted Time: 2026-09-10 10:58:42 Employment Type: Remote Target Skills & Keywords : C, C++, Data Pipeline, Embedded Systems, JavaScript, LLM, Node.js, Python, TCP/IP, TypeScript About the job Experience: •5+ years building production software with demonstrated ownership of complex systems end-to-end. Required Skills: •As Software Engineer, you will help build the platform that lets remote users specify, submit, schedule, and monitor real experiments on ELECTRA's instruments: the core software layer that turns a laboratory into a cloud-accessible facility. You will also assist in the building of an open-access data repository for training scientific AI models. •Https://pasadenanow.com/main/a-17-million-bet-on-automation-caltech-team-builds-cloud-lab-to-decode-unknown-molecules •Design and build the API, user interface, and orchestration/scheduling layer that let users specify, submit, schedule, and monitor experiments, coordinating instrument control and data collection into reliable end-to-end workflows. •Integrate commercial and custom instrument hardware and software, including device drivers and abstraction layers over low-level communication protocols (e.g., RS-232, USB, TCP/IP, OPC-UA, SiLA2), securing vendor programming interface access where it is not publicly documented. •Build data pipelines that capture raw data, provenance, and metadata for every experiment, with traceability from request to result and shared schemas for interoperability with other PCL nodes. •Own authentication, access control, logging, and monitoring for a remotely accessed facility, and build fault tolerance, automated tests, and simulation environments so the platform and its drivers can be validated reliably. •Provide field support and troubleshooting for remote users encountering instrument, connectivity, or data-pipeline errors. •Partner cross-functionally with the team to translate experimental requirements into durable software, contribute to documentation and onboarding materials, and mentor students and junior engineers. Qualifications: •B.S. or M.S. in computer science, software or electrical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. •Proficiency in Python and experience with front-end web development (JavaScript/TypeScript) or a compiled language for driver work (C/C++). •Demonstrated capacity to work embedded in a laboratory alongside scientists. •Strong collaboration and written communication skills. •Laboratory automation, instrument orchestration, device driver development, or LIMS/ELN experience. •Scheduling and optimization (constraint programming, MILP, heuristics). •Scientific data formats, metadata standards, or relational database and data warehousing experience. •Electron microscopy, crystallography, or imaging data. •Agentic systems, LLM-backed applications, or tool-use frameworks. •Cloud infrastructure and front-end experience for user-facing portals and dashboards, or prior work in academic or national laboratory research computing. Compensation: •$70,000 - $115,000 / year •Flexible work environment (work from home / hybrid options) •Competitive benefits and rewards package 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!