Research Engineer - Automated Lab Development

At Meta, we are looking for an experienced and motivated engineer to define and drive the software orchestration and physical infrastructure for our autonomous, "self-driving" battery research lab. In this role, you will lead the technical build-out of connected, multi-station automated workcells and guide the architecture for APIs and data pipelines required to bridge laboratory hardware with advanced machine learning pipelines.

Collaborating closely with a cross-functional team of materials scientists and ML engineers, your orchestration platform will directly accelerate the closed-loop discovery and deployment of next-generation battery technologies for next-generation devices.

Research Engineer - Automated Lab Development Responsibilities:

Define the overall technical roadmap and detailed system architecture to build an autonomous, automated, end-to-end battery research lab, seamlessly integrating both commercially available instruments and custom hardware solutions

Identify gaps where commercial automation solutions fall short. Define strategies for external partner engagement and directly lead the co-development of custom automation approaches with third-party vendors. Own build-out of partner automation solutions within Meta labs. Drive or directly develop application-specific customizations and extensions of automation solutions

Guide development of software by internal and/or external partners to operate individual system components, orchestrate the full system, and provide resulting data to researchers

Translate the needs of internal research scientists into actionable hardware and software engineering specifications for the autonomous lab system, ensuring continuous alignment with core research objectives

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline8+ years of hands-on experience designing, scaling, and deploying automated laboratory systems, robotic workcells, or complex industrial testing/characterization hardware

Experience setting requirements for and using software to control physical hardware, manage device state machines, sequence multi-instrument workflows. Experience setting requirements for custom APIs, web services, or serial communication protocols to bridge data and control pathways between different vendor instruments

Experience managing technical definitions, timelines, and deliverables with third-party automation vendors, system integrators, or external OEM partners

Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., research scientists, software engineers, hardware engineers) to translate scientific experimental requirements into engineering specifications

Preferred Qualifications:

Familiarity with modern laboratory connectivity standards and middleware protocols

Experience integrating automated hardware with Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs), Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), or centralized cloud data warehouses

Experience with battery and materials characterization techniques, including electrochemical cell characterization, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)

Experience with industrial lab orchestration/scheduling software or data workflow management tools

Direct experience working on automated high-throughput screening (HTS) or "closed-loop" autonomous discovery systems where hardware execution loops were driven by algorithmic/ML inputs

About Meta:

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and Whats App further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine…