Research Engineer, Semiconductor

About Periodic Labs

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

As a Research Engineer, Semiconductor, you’ll own device-level validation of our materials work, taking novel thin-film stacks from deposition through patterned test vehicles to measure electrical performance. You’ll design and run short-loop experiments that demonstrate how materials and interfaces translate into device behavior, leveraging both internal and external lab resources. You’ll also contribute technical expertise to customer-facing engagements, and this role blends deep hands-on capability with the flexibility to work across teams and partners to solve hard materials problems.

What You’ll Do

• Design, fabricate, and characterize short-loop device test vehicles that demonstrate material and device performance against clear electrical targets.
• Build patterned devices end-to-end using photolithography, direct-write laser lithography, or e-beam lithography, integrated with deposition, etch, and metrology.
• Deposit thin-film stacks with engineered, complex interfaces using PVD, PLD, MBE, and ALD/CVD techniques.
• Perform electrical characterization on probe stations, and design and build custom measurement test benches where commercial tools fall short.
• Connect materials and interface properties to device outcomes, feeding insights back into film-stack and process development.
• Contribute technical expertise to customer-facing engagements, translating customer needs into experimental plans and results.
• Document experimental methodology, results, and learnings to feed both internal knowledge and AI training infrastructure.

You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have

• MS or PhD in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, plus relevant industry experience.
• Semiconductor industry experience in device development or process integration, background at an IDM, foundry, or memory manufacturer strongly preferred.
• Strong command of device physics and integration flows, with a track record of demonstrating device performance in short-loop test vehicles.
• Hands-on fabrication experience spanning lithography (photo, laser direct-write, or e-beam), thin-film deposition, etch, and metrology.
• A deep understanding of how materials selection and interface quality drive device performance.
• Proficiency in probe-station device measurement, plus the ability to architect and assemble custom electrical test setups.
• A strong condensed matter physics foundation, spintronics, magnetic materials, or quantum phenomena, is a plus.
• Working knowledge of emerging memory and logic device architectures is a plus.
• Startup-ready mindset: able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while implementing industry-standard best practices.

Mechanics

• Minimum education: Master’s degree with relevant experience
• Location: Menlo Park, CA
• Compensation: $220k - $300k + equity
• Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything we can to assist in this process with our legal support.