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Salary: USD 128,000 - 198,000 / annual
Lila Sciences is seeking a Scientist II / Senior Scientist in Electron Diffraction Characterization to join the Materials Science team within the Autonomous Science Platform. The platform combines experimental science, automation, AI, and software to accelerate materials discovery.
You will lead method development, validation, and operation for electron diffraction characterization workflows, with emphasis on micro-ED and/or EBSD. Your responsibilities include preparing samples, running measurements, interpreting diffraction and microstructure data, troubleshooting data-quality issues, and establishing workflows that make characterization outputs accurate, reproducible, and fit for purpose.
Key responsibilities:
- Lead micro-ED and other electron microscopy characterization workflows for materials discovery programs
- Develop methods for crystal structure determination and microstructure analysis
- Prepare samples, run measurements, interpret data, and troubleshoot quality issues
- Define calibration, validation, QC, and reproducibility standards for electron diffraction workflows
- Build structured, traceable diffraction outputs for downstream analysis and modeling
- Partner with ML, software, automation, and experimental teams on analyzer pipelines
- Translate project needs into fit-for-purpose characterization methods and analysis plans
You will also translate electron diffraction expertise into scalable analyzer pipelines. Partnering with ML, software, automation, and experimental teams, you will define metadata, quality-control checks, provenance, and analysis workflows that make diffraction data reliable, traceable, and useful at scale.
The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on expertise in electron diffraction characterization with strong scientific judgment and a commitment to high-quality data. They can operate at the instrument, interpret complex structural and microstructural outputs, and help build the analytical infrastructure needed to scale characterization across Lila's platform.
REQUIREMENTS:
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering, or related field; or M.S. with equivalent hands-on characterization experience
- Hands-on expertise in SEM and TEM including advanced diffraction analysis such as micro-ED
- Strong understanding of diffraction principles, crystallography, crystal structure determination, and microstructure analysis
- Experience preparing samples, validating methods, interpreting diffraction data, and troubleshooting workflow issues
- Ability to translate characterization workflows into reliable, structured, machine-readable data
- Experience collaborating across scientific, ML, software, automation, or data teams
- Clear communication skills for documenting methods, explaining results, and driving cross-functional decisions
BONUS:
- Experience with other EM techniques including EBSD, 4D-STEM
- Familiarity with automated or high-throughput characterization workflows
- Proficiency with Python or similar tools for scientific data analysis
- Experience integrating instrument data with ML-ready datasets or analyzer workflows
