Process Safety Engineer

The role

This person will lead risk assessments and establish operational safety systems for autonomous science workflows. They will partner with automation teams and collaborate with ML/AI engineers to integrate safety into AI decision-making.

What you will do

• Lead and document HAZOPs, PHA/FMEA, and risk assessments for new processes and lab systems
• Establish operational readiness and laboratory reliability systems for autonomous operations
• Partner with automation and controls teams to implement machine safeguarding and safety controls
• Develop and maintain EHS standards, specifications, procedures, and governance systems
• Collaborate with ML/AI engineers on training an LLM to reason through process hazards
• Provide technical expertise in high-throughput R&D including specialty gas delivery, vacuum, and RF/high-voltage systems
• Lead incident investigations and root cause analyses
• Own injury reporting and recordkeeping
• Assess permitting and MAQ implications of new processes and chemistries
• Serve as Chemical Hygiene Officer

Required qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in EHS, process safety, or chemical operations in labs, pilot plants, or semiconductor fabs
• Hands-on experience leading HAZOPs or FMEAs and running PSSR and MOC programs
• Working knowledge of functional safety: interlocks, safety PLCs, and ISO 13849 / IEC 61508 concepts
• Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA, OSHA PELs, ACGIH TLVs/BEIs, NIOSH, and ANSI standards
• Comfort working on-site in a fast-paced, high-complexity lab environment
• Bachelor’s degree or similar experience

Nice to have

• strong chemistry background (solid-state chemistry, materials processing, or lab automation a plus)
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or similar credential
• Experience with semiconductor or thin-film process safety: HF, toxic and pyrophoric gases, gas cabinets, and SEMI S2
• Experience designing EHS systems for autonomous or semi-autonomous lab environments
• Familiarity with AI or ML tools as applied to risk assessment, safety documentation, or experimental planning

Before you apply

• we sponsor visas

About the company

Periodic Labs is an AI and physical sciences company building state-of-the-art models to accelerate breakthroughs across materials, energy, and beyond.