Optical Systems Group Co-Op

Number of Positions: 2

Duration: 4 months

Dates: January - May 2027

Location: Onsite in San Jose, CA

EDUCATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Currently pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, Applied Physics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, automation, and execution of optical system characterization and validation testing for next-generation coherent pluggable transceivers.
• Design and implement test methodologies to evaluate key performance metrics including required OSNR, chromatic dispersion, polarization effects, transmitter and receiver performance, and overall system performance.
• Develop and maintain automated laboratory test frameworks using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools to improve measurement efficiency, reproducibility, and data analysis.
• Collect, process, and analyze large datasets from laboratory and system-level experiments, presenting results and recommendations to the engineering team.
• Assist in validating the optical performance of coherent photonic integrated circuits (PICs), analog and DSP ASICs.
• Work closely with a cross functional team to investigate performance issues, identify root causes, and verify corrective actions.
• Support integration and bring-up activities for early prototype hardware in laboratory environments.
• Develop software utilities for instrument control, data acquisition, calibration, and reporting.
• Participate in the design and validation of performance optimization and calibration algorithms for coherent optical systems.
• Document test procedures, experimental results, and technical findings to support product development and technology transfer activities.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, Applied Physics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong foundation in optical communications, photonics, signal processing, or communication systems.
• Experience with test automation and data analysis using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent tools.
• Knowledge of measurement techniques and test equipment used in the performance characterization of coherent pluggables.
• Knowledge of software development practices, version control systems (Git), and automated test environments.
• Experience with statistical analysis, experimental design, or machine learning techniques applied to engineering problems.