Optical Scientist / Engineer

Back to Careers Optical Scientist / Engineer Optics / Photonics San Francisco Full-time Apply Now I am excited to hire an Optical Scientist / Engineer at Piris Labs. Background in at least one of: • Quantum optical systems (single photon sources, atomic clocks) • Optical frequency combs (soliton, Kerr, electro-optic) This is strictly a PhD-level role due to the complexity and the need to ramp quickly. Postdocs are encouraged. Prior experience running labs in national labs (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories) as a research scientist is a plus. This is a founding role focused on novel light engines for large-scale AI inference, one of the most constrained layers in modern AI hardware. Close to my heart because I spent 10+ years working on lasers before moving to other aspects of the system. You will work directly with our Head of Photonics. Day to day, you will be alongside laser physicists, semiconductor physicists, and nanofabrication engineers. Very few places have this density of expertise under one roof. Our team has built deep optical expertise over 10+ years. We do not follow hype. We build what people need while pushing the frontier of innovation and discovery. Our founding team has spent 10+ years working on lasers, materials, and interconnects. The physics of new light sources is where many of the hardest problems live. Why this role matters: Light sources are one of the core bottlenecks in scaling AI infrastructure. Improving them directly impacts bandwidth and power at the system level. At scale, every optical interconnect requires a low-power, stable, and broadband light engine. If you want to own a hard, important problem and work across the full photonic stack, this is the role. RESPONSIBILITIES Own laser and light engine architecture Lead material selection, device design, and characterization Build and validate optical systems end to end Run photonic simulations using tools such as tidy3D, Lumerical FDTD, or equivalent Work closely with the Head of Photonics on research direction, design decisions, and experimental execution Collaborate daily with nanofabrication, packaging, and system teams, with strong alignment with packaging engineers REQUIREMENTS PhD in Physics, Applied Physics, or Electrical Engineering. We do not consider master's-level candidates for this role Postdoctoral experience in a directly relevant area is a strong plus Graduates from MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, or programs with comparable research depth in photonics or quantum optics are encouraged to apply Deep, first-principles understanding of laser physics: phase noise, coherence, gain mechanisms, cavity dynamics Hands-on experience with optical sources and photonic components at the bench level Strong system-level thinking — you connect device physics to full system performance Proven experimental depth — you have designed, built, and debugged real systems on an optical table Compensation: $100,000 to $200,000 depending on experience, plus equity, 401(k), and health insurance alik@pirislabs.io Apply Now