Principal Hardware Engineer Precision Instrumentation
A 501(c)(3) science-and-technology research institute/foundation operating direct Neuro-AI research, life-sciences programs through Radial, and an open-science residency program.
About Astera Institute
Astera Institute supports and operates open public-goods work for science and technology. Its current activities include neuroscience-informed AGI research, AI-enabled life-sciences programs, open datasets and publishing infrastructure, and residencies for early-stage projects.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will design and build precision mechanical, optical, and electronic systems for experiments. You will take instruments from concept through fabrication and integration, develop the prototyping facility, set technical direction and standards, and mentor and hire engineers.
Requirements
- Mechanical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Biomedical engineering
- Physics
- Precision hardware
- Mechanical design
- Fabrication
- Electronics
- Optics
- CAD
- CAM
- CNC machining
- 3D printing
- PCB layout
- Embedded system
- Sensor integration
- Actuator integration
- Data acquisition
- TTL synchronization
- SPI
- Mentoring
Responsibilities
- Design precision mechanical systems for experiments
- Build components for custom microscopes and optical systems
- Design and iterate laboratory instrumentation and experimental robotics
- Develop electronics and control hardware for research systems
- Build tooling, workflows, and fabrication capabilities for the prototyping facility
- Own complex instruments from concept through reliable operation
- Set engineering standards and technical direction
- Mentor and hire engineers
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package