Co-Op, Automated Systems Engineer

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is looking for a hands-on engineering co-op to help build and test the automated systems that run our laboratory workflows. Reporting to a senior manager on the Automated Systems Engineering team and paired with a day-to-day mentor, you will work alongside engineers and scientists on real workcells that are being deployed.

This is a lab-floor role. You will spend your time integrating instruments and troubleshooting systems that run live experiments. By the end of the co-op you should own a meaningful piece of a system and understand how scientific goals turn into working hardware.

Along the way you will see how scientific objectives become scoped technical requirements, how science, hardware, controls, and software teams coordinate interfaces on a shared system, and how automated experiments generate the structured, high-quality data that feeds AI-driven experimental design. You will also get hands-on time with emerging lab technology, including machine vision, advanced sensors, and automated scheduling software.

What You'll Be Building

• Support cross-functional requirements gathering and project documentation using established team templates and execution guidelines.
• Assist in converting manual scientific protocols into automation concept designs through process mapping, step timing, and identification of automation candidates.
• Research new instruments and technologies, and help evaluate them for physical integration capability and fit with scientific workflows.
• Contribute to concept design documentation, system architecture diagrams, and interface definitions for workcell- and instrument-level projects.
• Maintain and update the federated factory layout model, producing layout drawings and 3D models that account for robotics envelopes, human ergonomics, and hazard zones.
• Support feasibility assessments for proposed automation opportunities and help document lab automation best practices and lessons learned.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Robotics, or Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, or a related field
• Available for a full-time co-op term (typically 4 to 6 months) on-site in Cambridge
• Working knowledge of Python through coursework, projects, or prior internships
• Curiosity, attention to detail, and willingness to ask questions and work through unfamiliar problems
• Clear communication and comfort working with people across different technical backgrounds

Bonus Points For

• Wet lab exposure through coursework, undergraduate research, or a prior role involving pipetting, sample handling, or assay work
• Familiarity with CAD and some experience with rapid prototyping or 3D printing
• Experience with automated liquid handlers (Hamilton, Tecan, Opentrons) or robotic arms
• Coursework or project experience with control systems, PID loops, or microcontrollers
• Prior robotics competition, research lab, or iGEM-style team experience