Robotics Software Engineer

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Robotics Software Engineer at UL Research Institutes, based in our Skokie, IL office.

The Robotics Software Engineer will design and maintain the software infrastructure that connects laboratory automation, robotics, scientific instruments, data systems, and decision tools into integrated autonomous workflows. The role will work closely with scientists, automation engineers, robotics engineers, and data scientists to build scalable, reliable software for experimental orchestration and closed-loop research.

UL Research Institutes:

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Materials Discovery Research Institute teams who conduct the research required to produce that knowledge and put into practice.

Materials Discovery Research Institute:

The Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) works to develop and deploy new materials with the potential to address current global safety challenges. Pursuing materials that will help produce transformational safety breakthroughs, MDRI harnesses the power of advanced computing and high-throughput experimental methods to create innovative materials that will produce resilience for a sustainable future and protect individual and societal health.

We focus on today’s critical challenges, working to create new and better materials that will support renewable energy and environmental sustainability. Among our top priorities is research into materials capable of carbon capture and energy storage, with an eye toward reducing the adverse impacts of humanity’s reliance upon fossil fuel resources and enabling a transition to renewable energy sources.

Above all, our research builds on our commitment to a safer, more sustainable future.

What you’ll learn and achieve:

As the Robotics Software Engineer, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of ULas you:

• Develop and maintain software integrations for laboratory instruments, robotics, and automation platforms.
• Design and implement scalable APIs and reusable interfaces for communication across heterogeneous systems.
• Build workflow orchestration for multi-step experimental processes across synthesis, sample handling, characterization, and analysis.
• Develop and maintain sample tracking, metadata, and lineage capabilities to support experimental traceability.
• Implement scheduling, system-state management, error handling, and recovery capabilities to support reliable unattended operation.
• Integrate systems using APIs, OPC-UA, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, serial communication, and related protocols.
• Collaborate with Data Science team to support integration with scientific databases, data platforms, ML models, and decision tools.
• Develop monitoring, logging, dashboards, and diagnostic tools in conjunction with Data Science team.
• Apply modern software engineering practices including Git, testing, CI/CD, documentation, and containerization.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software issues, implementing proactive solutions to enhance system stability.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to translate laboratory needs into scalable software solutions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What you’ll experience working at UL Research Institutes: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You’ll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today’s global challenges require.
• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what’s on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You’ll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.
• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.
• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.
• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Demonstrated proficiency in Python and experience developing production-quality software.
• Experience with an additional programming language or development framework such as C#, .NET, Java, Go, or TypeScript is preferred.
• Experience designing APIs, distributed systems, microservices, or event-driven architectures.
• Experience integrating software with hardware, robotics, instrumentation, or automation systems.
• Working knowledge of SQL/NoSQL databases and data integration.
• Knowledge of workflow orchestration, scheduling, state machines, and asynchronous systems.
• Experience with Git, automated testing, Docker, CI/CD, and software documentation.
• Strong troubleshooting, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience with scientific laboratories, robotics, controls, or autonomous systems is highly desirable.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, robotics, controls, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 4 years of professional software development experience.
• Experience building scalable software systems beyond standalone scripts.
• Experience integrating laboratory instruments, robotics, automation, or other cyber-physical systems is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in a scientific research, laboratory, manufacturing, or research and development environment is preferred.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

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