COAST PCL Robotics Project Scientist; California NanoSystems Institute

Position overview

Position title:

COAST PCL Robotics Project Scientist

Salary range: A reasonable salary range that the University expects to pay for this position at 100% time is $94,400 to $138,300.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start:
November 1, 2026 or later.

Position duration: 1 year, 100% appointment with possibility of renewal on an annual basis.

Open date:
September 17, 2026

Next review date:
Friday, Oct 2, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date:
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The Computation-Optimized Automated Soft materials Technology Programmable Cloud Laboratory Node (COAST PCL), funded by the National Science Foundation, is a national AI-driven materials innovation infrastructure that combines autonomous robotics, advanced scientific instrumentation, and AI-guided experiment planning. This research ecosystem connects the broad and disparate communities of Materials, Chemistry, Engineering, and Computer Science, and enables rapid discovery and manufacturing of materials with highly controlled and programmable composition, properties, and functionality.

COAST PCL is seeking a motivated individual to grow a world-class resource for AI-guided autonomous experimentation and to take a lead role in the development and application of these next-generation methods in advancing COAST PCL's research mission and enabling a national user base to utilize this resource.

Reporting to the Associate Director at UCSB, the Robotics Project Scientist will lead the robotic manipulation and laboratory automation capability at COAST PCL. The Robotics Project Scientist will spend 30% time, in tandem with the in-house research team, on making significant and creative contributions to in-house research, including designing, developing, and deploying robotic manipulation systems including robot arms, end effectors, and dexterous hands, for automated synthesis and characterization tasks, applying both learning-based and classical manipulation techniques to handle the variability of real laboratory materials and operations, and developing human-robot interaction approaches that allow researchers and technicians to work alongside and direct robotic systems safely and intuitively.

External users will also consult with the Robotics Project Scientist to develop a Project Feasibility and Research plan. The Robotics Project Scientist will review topically relevant COAST PCL user proposals and advise on whether the proposed work can be executed on the facility's robotic platforms, or if a proposal requires revision to be accepted, translating scientific requirements into robotic capabilities. The Robotics Project Scientist can also advise on how to set up the work to maximize the likelihood of success.

The Robotics Project Scientist will devote 70% of their time to serve as a scientific and technical expert and train internal and external users in the operation of these systems, and on setting up, carrying out, and troubleshooting automated experiments in support of their work at COAST PCL. The Robotics Project Scientist will run a training module as part of the COAST PCL Summer School and other similar workshops that will serve to highlight the facilities and research capabilities and promote use by internal and external users.

Because COAST PCL is accessed remotely by a national user base, the Robotics Project Scientist will be responsible for making robust automated workflows. This includes designing the robotic workflows…