Instrumentation & Controls (Technician/Electrician)

About Periodic Labs

Periodic Labs is building an autonomous laboratory for high-throughput materials discovery. Our work combines advanced chemistry, robotics, automation, AI, and materials science to accelerate scientific discovery while maintaining high standards of environmental, health, and process safety.

We are seeking a hands-on, I&C technician who enjoys working with materials, instrumentation, electro-/mechanical systems, and characterization tools - someone who values precision, documentation, and evolving lab processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide electrical, instrumentation, and controls technician support to lead engineers, scientific, and technical staff, utilizing hand and CAD tools where design parameters and specifications have been established

• Build and manage large, complex electrical CAD assemblies for custom electrical equipment and fixtures, electrical enclosures, and instrumentation/hardware from engineer-provided concepts, sketches, and verbal direction

• Perform interference checks, fit studies, and assembly verification to identify issues before fabrication

• Produce detailed 2D engineering drawings with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing

• Generate accurate bills of materials (BOMs), drawing packages, cut sheets, and RFQ-ready documentation to support procurement and fabrication

• Perform basic calculations using standard engineering formulas to support dimensioning, fitment, and material selection

• Interpret electrical drawings and other technical information

• Maintain systems documentation, bill-of-materials, and drawing archives to keep documentation current, visible, and traceable

• Manage CAD file organization, naming conventions, and revision control

• Incorporate redlines and design changes from engineers, updating models and drawings through revision cycles
  

Qualifications & Skills

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent lab experience) in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, or related field (or strong background in mechatronics, electronics, solid‑state, materials processing, inorganic chemistry)

• Hands‑on instrumentation & controls experience, preferably low-voltage (24VDC) wiring and controls enclosure fabrication

• Experience in wiring and integrating mass flow controllers (MFCs), pressure transducers, solenoid valves, thermocouples, and various control instrumentation and hardware

• Familiarity with AutoCAD (preferably electrical), redlining schematics, and building to print

• Experience selecting appropriate electrical supplies, wire/cable, enclosure components (e.g. relays, circuit-breakers, terminal blocks)

• Experience with digital multi-meters (DMMs), volt meters, and current measuring devices

• Experience with Lock-Out-Tag-Out (LOTO) safety practices and procedures

• Strong attention to detail, record‑keeping, and job/task documentation

• Comfort with physically wiring various digital and analog input/output devices, lab instrumentation, and controls fieldbuses (e.g., EtherCAT, RS-232/-485, Modbus)

• Good documentation skills, ability to follow protocols, and write clear notes/task summaries

• Flexibility and ability to adapt to evolving processes and workflows typical of a startup/ research‑oriented lab

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with superconducting / magnetic materials, cryogenic sample handling, and magnetometry or resistivity measurements

• Experience with vacuum systems, gloveboxes, and inert atmosphere processing

• Familiarity with lab automation, data logging, or LIMS/LES systems integration

• Comfort troubleshooting instruments or basic electro-/mechanical maintenance

• Familiarity with NFPA70 (NEC), UL508A, or NFPA79

• Familiarity with Beckhoff IPCs, input/output modules, and EtherCAT fieldbus

• Familiarity with ASME Y14.5 standards

What You’ll Gain

• Hands‑on experience working at the cutting edge of materials discovery (superconductors, novel compounds)

• Exposure to a broad set of material characterization techniques and workflows (from synthesis to cryogenic measurements)

• Opportunity to help build lab SOPs, workflows, and influence lab design and automation controls development/deployment strategy

• Collaborative environment with scientists, engineers, and automation experts — good learning and growth potential

• Satisfaction of bridging materials science, synthesis, measurement, and data-driven R&D

• Hands-on experience designing, fabricating, and troubleshooting cutting-edge electrical systems for laboratory instrumentation and automation

Mechanics

• Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or similar experience

• Location: Menlo Park, CA

• Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role is $124,000-$153,600

• Role Type: Full-time / Contractor

   

We’re building a team of the world’s best - the scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers who don’t just follow the frontier, they define it. If you’re driven to bring AI to life in the physical world and make discoveries that have never been made before, you belong here.