Scientist II/Senior Melt Polymer Scientist

As a Scientist II/Senior Melt Polymer Scientist on the Materials Formulation team at Lila Sciences, you will drive the development and optimization of solid polymers, such as hot melt adhesive systems, working at the intersection of polymer science, formulation chemistry, and Lila’s autonomous science platform. You will design and execute high-throughput melt processing and characterization experiments that generate critical rheological, chemical, and mechanical data to guide adhesive formulation and materials discovery. Working alongside experimentalists, engineers, and machine learning scientists, you will build scalable polymer processing and testing workflows that accelerate the path to scientific superintelligence in solid polymer materials.

What You’ll Be Building

• Lead AI-driven experimental design and analysis to optimize solid polymer formulations, such as hot melt adhesives, leveraging polymer extrusion and melt processing techniques to translate formulation targets into manufacturable products.
• Develop and apply melt rheology methods to characterize processability and application performance of solid polymer systems.
• Conduct polymer characterization studies (e.g., molecular weight, thermal transitions, crystallinity) to establish structure-property relationships that inform formulation strategy.
• Design and execute mechanical testing protocols, including peel, shear, tack, and bond strength, to evaluate formulation performance against application requirements.
• Collaborate with experimentalists, systems engineers, and ML scientists to integrate characterization outputs into autonomous closed-loop workflows and ML training datasets.
• Troubleshoot characterization workflows and instrumentation to sustain high-throughput operational performance.
• Maintain accurate laboratory records and ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards.

• PhD in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, with 3+ years of postdoctoral or industry experience (or equivalent industry experience with an advanced degree).
• Demonstrated expertise in melt polymer formulation and development, including hands-on experience with polymer extrusion and melt processing equipment.
• Strong working knowledge of melt rheology and proficiency with rheometers, melt flow indexers, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience with polymer characterization techniques including DSC, GPC/SEC, or FTIR, and mechanical testing methods (peel, shear, tack, tensile, lap shear) on relevant ASTM/industry test standards.
• Proficient in quantitative data analysis and interpretation of process-structure-property relationships in polymeric materials.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with a track record of cross-functional collaboration.

Bonus Points For

• Background across multiple polymer chemistries, and familiarity with adhesive raw material classes, including base polymers, tackifying resins, waxes, and stabilizer/additive packages.
• Experience with pilot-scale or production-scale extrusion, coating, or hot melt application equipment for different polymer product classes.
• Proficiency in Python or similar tools for data analysis and workflow automation.
• Exposure to automated, high-throughput, or autonomous laboratory environments, such as custom or automated rheological and mechanical test instrumentation.

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market. Expected Base Salary Range $128,000-$198,000 USD

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply., Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.