Controls Engineer

About Periodic Labs

The most important scientific discoveries of our time won’t happen in a traditional lab. We’re an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond. Backed by world-class investors and growing rapidly, we operate at the pace the frontier requires. Our team brings deep expertise, genuine ownership, and an insatiable drive to push the boundaries of what’s scientifically possible.

About the Role

Join a world-class team of scientists and engineers pushing the boundaries of materials research in a groundbreaking lab where AI and automation unlock discoveries at unprecedented speed and scale.

We’re building an autonomous lab to speed up materials discovery, and we are looking for a Controls Engineer who loves turning complex equipment into reliable, safe, and observable systems. You’ll design the controls architecture for outsourced tools and in-house automation, then work with integrators to bring it to life. You’ll be hands-on from specification through installation and production handoff, partnering with scientists, facilities, and vendors to make the whole lab run as one coherent system.

What You’ll Do

• Define the controls architecture: states, alarms, naming, and data flows that make systems understandable and maintainable.

• Specify platforms and components (PLC/robot controller, operator interface, motion, I/O, networks) to meet safety and performance needs.

• Build and execute bring-up plans: I/O checkout, sequence dry runs, and end-to-end workflow trials; drive issues to closure.

• Design and roll out real-time supervisory dashboards (Ignition or similar).

• Implement observability: trending, diagnostics, alarm rationalization, and set sensible thresholds and responses.

You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have

• BS in EE/ME/Controls or equivalent.

• 3+ years in industrial automation for labs, pilot plants, or manufacturing.

• Hands-on experience with PLCs, HMIs, motion systems, and industrial networks.

• Experience with safety PLCs, functional safety validation, and LOTO practices.

• Scripting for test and diagnostics (Python preferred) and practical electrical debugging.

• Experience with SCADA platforms (e.g., Ignition), data historians, and OPC UA or similar data standards.

Especially Strong Candidates May Also Have

• Experience with robotic cells or vision integration; basic electrical panel practices.

• Containers or CI/CD for deploying controls logic; Git-based workflows.

• Functional safety coursework or certification.

• Demonstrated accomplishments recognized in your field.

Mechanics

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and training or experience

Location: Our lab is located in Menlo Park and we prefer folks to be located in Menlo Park or San Francisco but can be flexible based on role

Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role — $200,000-$300,000

Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything we can to assist in this process with our legal support.

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.