Lab Engineer
Diffractive Labs
Lab Engineer
Diffractive Labs
Autonomous AI research lab for materials discovery
We are seeking a Lab Engineer to keep our materials synthesis and characterisation lab running reliably: maintaining and troubleshooting equipment, installing new systems, and managing our relationships with equipment manufacturers. This is a hands-on technical role, not a research position. Our scientists own the methods; you will make sure the equipment and facilities behind them are dependable, safe and ready to use.
We are looking for industrial experience. A background in a high-volume analytical lab, a QA lab supporting a manufacturing environment, or pilot-scale manufacturing or R&D would be ideal. We are also keen to hear from field service engineers, manufacturing engineers in hardware manufacturing, and people whose roles have centred on mechatronics, assembly, or troubleshooting mechanical and electrical systems. We are open to other profiles, but candidates whose experience is in academic labs only are unlikely to be the right fit.
You will be joining a small, highly ambitious team of world-renowned engineers, AI researchers, and materials scientists. We move fast and value people who are energised by that.
What You'll Do
Provide day-to-day equipment support: routine preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting issues as they arise.
Set up our maintenance schedules, following progressive maintenance principles
Install and commission a wide range of lab synthesis and analysis equipment in partnership with the scientists who own the methods.
Be our point of contact with OEMs for repairs and troubleshooting, establish and coordinate service contracts, and attend FATs at OEM sites for larger systems.
Own spare parts inventory and purchasing strategy, keeping critical spares on hand.
Keep the lab’s robotic and automated analysis systems running at their best, from routine maintenance to diagnosing faults and improving performance.
Uphold H&S across the equipment you look after, including safe isolation of energy sources (LOTO), and maintain SOPs, maintenance logs and risk assessments.
Look after lab services, including compressed gases (Ar, N₂) and chiller cooling water.
Take ownership of selected instruments or experiments and maintain SOPs, maintenance logs and risk assessments.
Skills & Qualifications
Several years of hands-on experience maintaining and installing lab or industrial equipment, across a breadth of systems including analytical instruments and robotics/mechatronics.
Comfortable working across a wide variety of lab equipment and processes, including analytical instruments and robotics/mechatronics.
Working knowledge of mechanical, pneumatic, robotic, electrical and electronic systems, compressed gas systems (including Ar/N₂) and plumbing/water systems for chillers.
Strong H&S awareness, including energy isolation and LOTO, gas safety, exhaust and extraction, and risk assessment.
A strong understanding of how a lab facility is built and put together.
Experience working with OEMs on repairs, service contracts and equipment acceptance.
A relevant engineering qualification is preferred, but not required with sufficient experience.
Nice to Have
Experience with any of our instrument domains: high vacuum, XRD, SEM, high-temperature metallurgy, or optical characterisation.
Familiarity with ionising radiation safety requirements.
Experience in a startup or fast-moving research environment.
Why Join Us
Own the reliability of a broad range of advanced equipment across synthesis, characterisation and automation.
Collaborate with world-class researchers across materials science, robotics, and AI.
Help build a lab from the ground up: the processes, the culture, and the capabilities are yours to help shape.
Top of range compensation and generous equity, full benefits
How to Apply
If you're excited about this role and believe you could thrive in it, we'd encourage you to apply even if you may not align with every part of the job description.
Diffractive is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
If you require any adjustments or accommodations at any point during the interview process please let us know - we will be happy to help.
Hit the apply button below to submit your application. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Autonomous AI research lab for materials discovery
Diffractive Labs is a London-based company building an AI Material Scientist, an autonomous system that discovers new materials by learning from real-world experimentation. It pairs machine learning models, including graph neural networks, with robotic lab automation, so computational predictions and physical experiments continuously inform each other in a closed discovery loop. A team of experimental scientists, computational researchers, and platform engineers runs experiments at scale, replacing manual trial-and-error. What sets Diffractive Labs apart is closing the loop between simulation and lab work, letting AI models propose materials and validate them through automated experimentation. The goal is to accelerate materials discovery and expand the pace of scientific research.
Explore more opportunities at Diffractive Labs