Lila Sciences
Scientist I/II, X-ray Diffraction Characterization
$108K–$170K
Cambridge, MA USA +1 · Full-time · Posted Sep 14, 2026
- Location
- Cambridge, MA USA
Alewife, Cambridge, MA - Education
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering, or a related field, or M.S. with equivalent hands-on characterization experience.
About the job
Develops and operates X-ray diffraction characterization workflows, producing reliable, machine-readable materials data for scientific decisions, automated analysis, and model development.
What you'll do
- Develop, validate, and operate PXRD, XRR, GIXRD, and related characterization workflows, including sample preparation, measurement, interpretation, and troubleshooting.
- Establish calibration, validation, quality-control, and reproducibility practices; maintain instruments through SOPs and documentation.
- Partner with AI, software, automation, and experimental teams to create structured, traceable data and scalable analyzer workflows.
What they ask for
- PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering, or a related field, or M.S. with equivalent hands-on characterization experience.
- Hands-on experience with X-ray diffraction methods, including PXRD, and related materials characterization workflows.
- Experience preparing samples, validating methods, interpreting XRD data, and troubleshooting instruments or workflows.
- Experience with XRD analysis software, scientific data analysis, or scripting for data processing.
Nice to have
- Experience with PXRD, XRR, GIXRD, thin-film characterization, or texture analysis.
- Familiarity with automated or high-throughput characterization workflows; Python or similar tools for scientific data analysis.
Pay
$108,000 — $170,000 USD (base salary)
Tools
PXRD, XRR, GIXRD, Python
AI focus
Supports AI and model development by creating reliable, structured, machine-readable XRD data and partnering on scalable analyzer workflows.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative