What are the responsibilities and job description for the Robotics & Mechatronics Engineer position at Grafton Sciences?
About Us
Grafton Sciences is building physical superintelligence — systems that can experiment, reason, and make discoveries in the real world. We’re designing autonomous laboratories that learn through interaction, not imitation — starting with disease and energy. Backed by $42.5 million from ARPA-H, our mission is to build the first system capable of true scientific discovery. If you want to help invent the future of discovery itself, this is the place.
Role Overview
Design, prototype, and deploy the physical systems that give our autonomous laboratories their “body.” You will build robot arms, gantries, fluidic platforms, and fixtures that bring digital intelligence into contact with the physical world. Your work will directly enable machines to act, manipulate, and learn from real experiments.
Key Responsibilities
Preferred Backgrounds
Why This Role Matters
You will be critical to building physical superintelligence, the grandest challenge of our era.
Compensation
Competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus performance-based incentives and meaningful equity participation.
Grafton Sciences is building physical superintelligence — systems that can experiment, reason, and make discoveries in the real world. We’re designing autonomous laboratories that learn through interaction, not imitation — starting with disease and energy. Backed by $42.5 million from ARPA-H, our mission is to build the first system capable of true scientific discovery. If you want to help invent the future of discovery itself, this is the place.
Role Overview
Design, prototype, and deploy the physical systems that give our autonomous laboratories their “body.” You will build robot arms, gantries, fluidic platforms, and fixtures that bring digital intelligence into contact with the physical world. Your work will directly enable machines to act, manipulate, and learn from real experiments.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, prototype, and assemble robotic and mechanical subsystems (motion platforms, end effectors, precision fixtures, fluidic manifolds).
- Integrate commercial robots (UR, Franka, gantry) with custom automation equipment.
- Develop calibration, alignment, and safety routines for continuous 24/7 operation.
- Collaborate with electrical, controls, and ML teams to link actuation, sensing, and data collection.
- Design for robustness: systems that can run unattended, handle failure gracefully, and be repaired efficiently.
- BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- 3 to 7 years building or integrating robotic or automation hardware (industrial, research, or startup environment). Demonstration of excellence is more critical than years of experience.
- Expertise in CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360), rapid prototyping, and mechanical analysis (FEA preferred).
- Familiarity with motion control, servo systems, and safety mechanisms.
- Bonus: experience in electrical design, embedded systems, or ML-driven calibration.
- A temperament suited to early-stage environments: relentless follow-through, intellectual curiosity, and calm in ambiguity.
Preferred Backgrounds
- Experience in robotic-hardware startups, lab-automation environments, or advanced manufacturing. Exposure to electrical design, firmware, or ML-based calibration is a plus.
Why This Role Matters
You will be critical to building physical superintelligence, the grandest challenge of our era.
Compensation
Competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus performance-based incentives and meaningful equity participation.
