Forward Deployed Engineer, Physical Sciences (Level Flexible)
Lila Sciences
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Cambridge, MA
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Entry level
Posted April 5, 2026
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Responsibilities
Commitments
Responsibilities
- You'll leverage our AI and software platform tools while developing bespoke features that address each customer's unique challenges.
- This isn't traditional software development—it's high-velocity, AI-fueled, high-impact engineering where you'll ship production code in days, not months.
- Developing, wrapping, and adapting domain-specific tools for data analysis, process optimization, molecular modeling, and more
- Deploying custom, agentic scientific workflows that integrate with industrial instruments (PLCs, control software) and data systems (ERP, MES, SCADA)
- Building real-time data pipelines that transform messy scientific data into actionable insights
- Creating intuitive interfaces that make complex AI/ML capabilities accessible to scientists
- Architecting solutions that scale from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment
Commitments
This isn't traditional software development—it's high-velocity, AI-fueled, high-impact engineering where you'll ship production code in days, not months.
Willingness to travel to customer sites for frequent and extended deployments
Not Met Priorities
What still needs stronger evidence
Requirements
- Creating intuitive interfaces that make complex AI/ML capabilities accessible to scientists
- Architecting solutions that scale from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment
- Domain expertise in chemistry, materials science, or related field
- Outstanding communication skills—you'll interface directly with both executives and the manufacturing line
- Experience with data engineering, ETL pipelines, and working with complex/messy datasets
- Strong full-stack development skills with the ability to work across backend, frontend, and data layers
- Exceptional problem-solving abilities and comfort with ambiguous requirements
- Knack for product discovery and ability to pass requirements back to the platform
- Willingness to travel to customer sites for frequent and extended deployments
Preferred Skills
- Previous customer-facing or consulting experience
- Depth in controls engineering and machine learning
- Experience with scientific computing libraries (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, RDKit)
- Familiarity with ML/AI implementation and deployment
- Familiarity with modern web technologies (TypeScript, React)
- Customer Obsessed: You're energized by understanding customer problems deeply and seeing your solutions drive real impact
- Fast Learner: You quickly grasp new scientific domains and translate complex requirements into elegant solutions
About Lila Sciences
Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more
About This Mission At www.lila.ai
At Lila, we are uniquely cross-functional and collaborative. We are actively reimagining the way teams work together and communicate. Therefore, we seek individuals with an inclusive mindset and a diversity of thought. Our teams thrive in unstructured and creative environments. All voices are heard because we know that experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way.
If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, please apply.
Your Impact at Lila
We're seeking extraordinarily talented Forward Deployed Engineers across Engineer, Senior Engineer, and Lead Engineer levels to join our growing team. Our FDEs are high-performing generalists with a broad set of skills, in addition to depth in one or more focus areas. This FDE, Physical Sciences role requires experience in chemistry and materials science in an industrial manufacturing setting.
As an FDE, you'll embed directly with our internal biotech and materials science teams as well as external customers, living their problems and rapidly building solutions that transform their research capabilities. You'll leverage our AI and software platform tools while developing bespoke features that address each customer's unique challenges. This isn't traditional software development—it's high-velocity, AI-fueled, high-impact engineering where you'll ship production code in days, not months.
What You'll Be Building
Developing, wrapping, and adapting domain-specific tools for data analysis, process optimization, molecular modeling, and more
Deploying custom, agentic scientific workflows that integrate with industrial instruments (PLCs, control software) and data systems (ERP, MES, SCADA)
Building real-time data pipelines that transform messy scientific data into actionable insights
Creating intuitive interfaces that make complex AI/ML capabilities accessible to scientists
Architecting solutions that scale from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment
What You'll Need to Succeed
Domain expertise in chemistry, materials science, or related field
Outstanding communication skills—you'll interface directly with both executives and the manufacturing line
Experience with data engineering, ETL pipelines, and working with complex/messy datasets
Strong full-stack development skills with the ability to work across backend, frontend, and data layers
Exceptional problem-solving abilities and comfort with ambiguous requirements
Knack for product discovery and ability to pass requirements back to the platform
Willingness to travel to customer sites for frequent and extended deployments
Bonus Points For
Previous customer-facing or consulting experience
Depth in controls engineering and machine learning
Experience with scientific computing libraries (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, RDKit)
Familiarity with ML/AI implementation and deployment
Familiarity with modern web technologies (TypeScript, React)
What Makes a Great FDE
Customer Obsessed: You're energized by understanding customer problems deeply and seeing your solutions drive real impact
Fast Learner: You quickly grasp new scientific domains and translate complex requirements into elegant solutions
Autonomous: You thrive with minimal supervision and take extreme ownership of customer success
Collaborative: You work seamlessly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Technically Versatile: You're comfortable jumping between technologies and picking up new tools as needed
Ready to Transform Scientific Discovery?
If you're excited about embedding with world-class scientists, shipping impactful solutions at startup speed, and building the future of scientific software, we want to hear from you. Join us in our mission to accelerate breakthrough discoveries that will define the next century of human progress.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more
About This Mission At www.lila.ai
At Lila, we are uniquely cross-functional and collaborative. We are actively reimagining the way teams work together and communicate. Therefore, we seek individuals with an inclusive mindset and a diversity of thought. Our teams thrive in unstructured and creative environments. All voices are heard because we know that experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way.
If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, please apply.
Your Impact at Lila
We're seeking extraordinarily talented Forward Deployed Engineers across Engineer, Senior Engineer, and Lead Engineer levels to join our growing team. Our FDEs are high-performing generalists with a broad set of skills, in addition to depth in one or more focus areas. This FDE, Physical Sciences role requires experience in chemistry and materials science in an industrial manufacturing setting.
As an FDE, you'll embed directly with our internal biotech and materials science teams as well as external customers, living their problems and rapidly building solutions that transform their research capabilities. You'll leverage our AI and software platform tools while developing bespoke features that address each customer's unique challenges. This isn't traditional software development—it's high-velocity, AI-fueled, high-impact engineering where you'll ship production code in days, not months.
What You'll Be Building
Developing, wrapping, and adapting domain-specific tools for data analysis, process optimization, molecular modeling, and more
Deploying custom, agentic scientific workflows that integrate with industrial instruments (PLCs, control software) and data systems (ERP, MES, SCADA)
Building real-time data pipelines that transform messy scientific data into actionable insights
Creating intuitive interfaces that make complex AI/ML capabilities accessible to scientists
Architecting solutions that scale from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment
What You'll Need to Succeed
Domain expertise in chemistry, materials science, or related field
Outstanding communication skills—you'll interface directly with both executives and the manufacturing line
Experience with data engineering, ETL pipelines, and working with complex/messy datasets
Strong full-stack development skills with the ability to work across backend, frontend, and data layers
Exceptional problem-solving abilities and comfort with ambiguous requirements
Knack for product discovery and ability to pass requirements back to the platform
Willingness to travel to customer sites for frequent and extended deployments
Bonus Points For
Previous customer-facing or consulting experience
Depth in controls engineering and machine learning
Experience with scientific computing libraries (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, RDKit)
Familiarity with ML/AI implementation and deployment
Familiarity with modern web technologies (TypeScript, React)
What Makes a Great FDE
Customer Obsessed: You're energized by understanding customer problems deeply and seeing your solutions drive real impact
Fast Learner: You quickly grasp new scientific domains and translate complex requirements into elegant solutions
Autonomous: You thrive with minimal supervision and take extreme ownership of customer success
Collaborative: You work seamlessly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Technically Versatile: You're comfortable jumping between technologies and picking up new tools as needed
Ready to Transform Scientific Discovery?
If you're excited about embedding with world-class scientists, shipping impactful solutions at startup speed, and building the future of scientific software, we want to hear from you. Join us in our mission to accelerate breakthrough discoveries that will define the next century of human progress.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.