Senior Photonics Engineer – Homodyne Detection

About the Company

We are an ambitious deep-tech company developing next-generation photonic and quantum technologies. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and researchers is tackling some of the most challenging problems in advanced computing and integrated photonics.

This is an opportunity to work on genuinely cutting-edge technology, helping develop complex photonic systems that combine advanced photonic integrated circuits, high-speed electro-optics, precision optical measurement, and sophisticated control systems.

The Role

We are seeking a Senior Photonic Engineer to design, develop, and experimentally validate advanced integrated photonic systems.

You will work with complex photonic chips incorporating networks of high-speed electro-optic modulators and integrated optical detection technologies. The role will have a strong focus on the development and characterisation of high-performance pulsed optical measurement systems.

This is a highly hands-on laboratory role, requiring someone who can independently design experiments, develop new characterisation techniques, troubleshoot complex optical and electrical systems, and work closely with PIC, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and upgrade complex optical laboratory experiments to characterise the performance of photonic integrated circuits incorporating electro-optic components, using both continuous-wave and pulsed laser sources.
• Characterise and benchmark the performance of high-speed integrated optical detection systems operating with pulsed signals in the hundreds of MHz bandwidth regime.
• Develop new optical and electrical characterisation strategies to meet evolving system and performance requirements.
• Measure and analyse key performance metrics including detection efficiency, noise performance, effective bandwidth, common-mode rejection, cross-talk, and system stability.
• Develop and improve signal-processing techniques for high-speed pulsed optical measurements and advanced optical state characterisation.
• Stay informed on emerging research and technologies in advanced optical measurement and integrated photonics.
• Implement and maintain optical phase-locking and frequency-stabilisation systems.
• Design, troubleshoot, and optimise control electronics, PID controllers, and high-precision locking schemes for ultra-stable optical and electronic systems.
• Contribute to the development and evaluation of new calibration, stabilisation, and measurement protocols.
• Collaborate closely with PIC development, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering teams to ensure successful subsystem and module integration.
• Produce detailed technical documentation, including design specifications, test procedures, characterisation reports, and operational documentation.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Optics & Experimental Expertise

• Strong hands-on experience working in experimental optics laboratories.
• Knowledge of integrated optics, fibre optics, optical interferometry, optical locking techniques, and noise characterisation.
• Experience designing, building, and troubleshooting complex optical experiments.

Optical Detection & Measurement

• Direct experience with coherent optical detection or related advanced optical measurement techniques.
• Experience with pulsed optical measurement systems is highly desirable.

Electronics

• Working knowledge of optoelectronic detectors and transimpedance amplifiers.
• Good understanding of RF electronics, high-speed electronic systems, and electro-optic modulator concepts.

Education

• Ph.D. in Photonics, Quantum Optics, AMO Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant industry or research experience in areas such as advanced photonic systems, quantum technologies, integrated electro-optics, thin-film lithium niobate modulators, or waveguide-integrated photodetectors.
• Experience developing advanced coherent optical measurement systems and characterisation techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, build, and troubleshoot complex optical experiments and translate measurement results into clear technical recommendations.
• Ability to rapidly understand complex system architectures and adapt to new experimental and technical challenges.
• Experience writing Python scripts for instrument control, hardware interfacing, automated testing, and data acquisition.
• Strong mathematical modelling and data-analysis skills, using analytical and numerical approaches to understand complex physical systems.
• Experience with advanced signal processing techniques.
• Experience defining physical, optical, and electrical interfaces between photonic integrated circuits and high-speed electronic components in advanced integrated or co-packaged photonic systems.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of advanced photonics, developing and validating technology that pushes the limits of integrated optics, high-speed electro-optics, precision measurement, and complex system integration.

You will have the opportunity to work hands-on with custom photonic devices and sophisticated laboratory systems while collaborating with specialists across photonics, electronics, software, mechanical engineering, and advanced physics.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Oliver Logan