Scientist II/Senior Melt Polymer Scientist

Your Impact at LILA 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. What You'll Need to Succeed PhD in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering,