Robotics Engineer (Contractor)
About Xaira Therapeutics
Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.
Job Description:
As a lab automation robotics engineer, you will be at the intersection of biology, robotics, and software, helping transform how experiments are executed in the lab. You will work side by side with biologists, chemists, and automation engineers to understand real scientific workflows and translate them into automated processes that improve speed, reliability, and scale. We are building a robotics platform to automate biological laboratory workflows. This role is designed for a highly motivated early-career engineer who wants hands-on experience in robotics, computer vision, and applied AI in a real-world system. You will take ownership of key robotics subsystems, driving implementation and integration of robotic manipulation in real lab environments. The role combines independent execution with structured collaboration with other robotics experts during focused development phases. This is an opportunity to contribute to the foundation of a next-generation, highly autonomous lab automation platform while accelerating your growth in robotics and autonomy.
Responsibilities:
- Implement and test ROS2 nodes for robot control and perception.
- Integrate computer vision models with robotic motion and control systems.
- Develop robotic manipulation tasks using 6-axis robotic arms.
- Contribute to complex multi-station system integration and automated material handling.
- Participate in simulation-based testing and real-world validation.
- Document system behavior, performance metrics, and experimental results.
- Collaborate with cross disciplinary teams to translate laboratory workflows into robotic execution.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, or related field. Recent graduates and current graduate students are encouraged to apply.
- Hands-on experience with robotics projects with 6-axis robotic arms, ROS, and MoveIt2 (academic, research, competition, or personal).
- Experience in computer vision and vision models (OpenCV, object detection, pose estimation, etc.).
- Experience implementing control loops or motion planning.
- Experience with GPU-accelerated computing for robotics. Familiarity with modern robotics AI frameworks is a plus..
- Experience with coding and cloud computing platforms to develop, debug, and document scripts (Python, C++ or Java).
- Experience with connecting instruments via IOT.
- Comfort working with physical hardware and debugging real systems.
- Interest in robotics, autonomy, and AI-driven systems.
- Comfort working across disciplines and communicating with scientists and engineers.
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn by doing.
Nice to Have:
- Exposure to laboratory automation environments in academic, biotech, or pharmaceutical settings.
- Experience in prototyping with CAD, 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC mills.
- Experience with lab automation instruments like liquid handlers and scheduling/orchestration orchestration software (e.g., Cellario, Momentum, GBG).
- Familiarity with molecular biological or chemical assays (PCR, Gel electrophoresis, DNA quantification, microscopy, etc.).
What We Offer
- Experience in operating and building a state-of-the-art automation laboratory.
- Exposure to robotics and data flow infrastructure management.
- Hands-on experience building robotic systems in high throughput data generating lab.
- Structured mentorship from experienced robotics engineers..
- The opportunity to be part of a passionate team working on groundbreaking drug discovery projects.
- A dynamic, innovative, and supportive work environment.
- Professional growth and development opportunities in a rapidly growing company.
Hourly Compensation
$60-75/hr
Expected Duration
6 Months
Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.
TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.