Co-Op, Characterization Electrodeposited Material

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is hiring a co-op to join the Materials Science team within the Autonomous Science Platform. You will characterize electrodeposited metal films and develop the measurement methods that make those results repeatable. Deposition is handled by other scientists on the team; your focus is measurement, method development, and data quality.

The role spans electrical, surface, structural, and mechanical techniques: four-point probe for sheet resistance and resistivity, laser confocal metrology for thickness, step height, and roughness, XRD and EBSD for phase, texture, and grain structure, and hardness testing for mechanical properties. Much of the work is standing these methods up: defining sample prep, acquisition settings, and acceptance criteria so results hold across operators and sample batches.

You will work alongside scientists and engineers in a lab built for high-throughput, automated experimentation, and your protocols will feed directly into how these measurements get scaled.

What You'll Be Building

• Develop sample prep and measurement protocols for general characterization tools on electrodeposited films: four-point probe, hardness testing, and SEM/EBSD.
• Prepare samples for SEM and EBSD (mounting, polishing, surface cleanup)
• Run four-point probe, laser confocal metrology, and hardness measurements
• Analyze XRD data (phase ID, texture, peak shift, crystallite size) and EBSD data (grain size, orientation, texture)
• Validate measurement repeatability and establish data quality criteria
• Analyze and visualize characterization data, then document methods and failure modes

What You'll Need to Succeed

• Pursuing a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical/Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Hands-on experience operating materials characterization instruments in a lab
• Hands-on experience with hardness testing (micro- or nano-indentation, or others)
• Hands-on experience with metallographic or SEM sample prep
• Experience analyzing XRD data
• Working knowledge of thin films, metal microstructure, or surface metrology
• Careful experimental technique and detailed record keeping
• Available for the full Spring co-op term, January through May

Bonus Points For

• Master's or PhD candidates preferred
• Python for data analysis and visualization
• Experience analyzing EBSD data (e.g., MTEX, OIM, AZtec Crystal)
• Hands-on SEM and/or FIB experience
• Direct experience with four-point probe, optical profilometry, or laser confocal systems
• Familiarity with electrodeposited metals or electrochemical materials processing
• Experience developing or qualifying a new measurement method (e.g., gauge R&R)
• Exposure to automated or high-throughput laboratory workflows