Materials R&D Engineer

Boulder, COOnsiteFull TimePosted 23 days ago

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Required skills

electrostatic actuator
liquid-metal interfaces
thin dielectrics
bonding methods
actuator performance
electrical behavior
mechanical behavior
surface behavior
test fixtures
microfabrication team

Nice to have

rapid iteration
learning from failure
shipping real hardware

Role summary

Seeking a hands-on Materials R&D Engineer to develop and validate materials, interfaces, and fabrication methods for a novel electrostatic actuator platform. This role involves creative experimental design, first-principles calculations, and practical lab work. Responsibilities include investigating liquid-metal interfaces, surface coatings, thin dielectrics, and bonding methods, connecting material properties to actuator performance, preparing samples, building test fixtures, and developing measurements for electrical, mechanical, and surface behavior. The ideal candidate has 3+ years of experimental R&D experience in materials science or a related field, with strong fundamentals in materials science and practical experience with thin films, surface treatments, solder, polymers, or microfabrication.

We’re looking for a hands-on Materials R&D Engineer to develop and validate materials, interfaces, and fabrication approaches for a novel electrostatic actuator platform. This role combines creative experimental design, first-principles calculations, and practical lab work. As an early hire, you will directly shape the materials choices and development strategy.
What You’ll Do
Experimental Design: Identify key uncertainties, make first-principles estimates, and devise creative experiments to test ideas and guide design decisions.
Materials Development: Investigate liquid-metal interfaces, surface coatings, thin dielectrics, and bonding methods; connect material properties to actuator performance.
Lab Prototyping: Prepare samples, build test fixtures, and collaborate with our microfabrication team to turn concepts into working demonstrations.
Characterization: Develop repeatable measurements of electrical, mechanical, and surface behavior; analyze data, investigate failure modes, and iterate.

Qualifications

Experience — 3+ years of hands-on experimental R&D in materials science, applied physics, or a related engineering field.

Core technical skills

Strong materials science fundamentals, including surface interactions, wetting, adhesion, dielectric behavior, and mechanical properties
Practical experience with thin films, surface treatments, eutectic metal solder, polymers, or microfabrication
Demonstrated ability to independently design experiments, build apparatus, select measurement techniques, and interpret results
Comfort using calculations and quantitative data analysis to evaluate ideas and prioritize experiments

What we value

Strong problem-solving abilities with a first-principles approach to complex challenges
Clear communication and strong ownership in a startup setting
Genuine enthusiasm for robotics and physically intelligent systems
A builder mindset: rapid iteration, learning from failure, and shipping real hardware

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

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