Software Engineer, Lab Automation

Responsibilities

• Build orchestration software that coordinates liquid handlers, plate readers, incubators, and robot arms.
• Reverse-engineer and develop instrument drivers and APIs.
• Model and execute complex multi-step protocols reliably.
• Build error-recovery logic for system failures.
• Create monitoring and observability for work-cell health.
• Debug across the software–hardware boundary.
• Work closely with lab automation engineers, the rest of the software team, and the scientists running production.

Requirements

• Strong software engineering skills with production code in Python and/or TypeScript.
• Comfortable at the hardware-software boundary, able to read protocol specs and debug connections.
• Maker and hacker attitude, comfortable with electronics, microcontrollers, or 3D printers.
• AI-native builder comfortable with coding agents like Claude Code.
• Self-starter and independent, defining what needs building from how the lab actually works.
• Reliability-minded, designing systems where one instrument failing doesn't cascade.

Nice to have

• Lab automation experience with PyHamilton, PyLabRobot, Opentrons, or similar tooling.