Principal Optomechanical Engineer - Simulations (Thermal/Structural)

ABOUT NEUROPHOS

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A https://www.neurophos.com/110m-raise led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX or Sunnyvale, CA. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To: VP, Optics

FLSA Status: Exempt

POSITION OVERVIEW

Neurophos is seeking a Principal Optomechanical Engineer to own thermal and structural simulation for our optical processing unit (OPU). Our free-space optical assemblies hold lenses, microlens arrays, beam splitters, and photonic chips to sub-micron and micro-radian tolerances inside a data-center module. You will predict how temperature, mounting stress, adhesives, shock, and vibration move and distort these optics, and how that changes optical performance. You will work closely with the optomechanical design, optical design, active alignment, and packaging teams, and your models will drive design decisions from concept through production.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Thermal analysis

• Build thermal models of the OPU and its optical sub-assemblies: conduction, convection, and radiation, heat sources from lasers, photonic chips, and electronics, and the data-center operating environment.
• Predict steady-state and transient temperature fields and gradients, and define thermal-management solutions with the packaging and system teams.
• Run thermo-mechanical analysis to predict thermal drift, identify CTE mismatches, and propose athermal designs together with optomechanical design.

Structural analysis

• Run structural FEA for optical mounts, benches and housings: adhesive and bond-line stress, preload, cure shrinkage, creep and long-term dimensional stability.
• Analyze modal response, shock and random vibration for shipping, handling and operation, and qualify designs against environmental requirements.

Structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP)

• Run integrated STOP analysis: map displacements and surface deformations from FEA into the optical model and predict changes in pointing, focus, wavefront error, and coupling efficiency.
• Turn simulation results into tolerance and stability budgets, and set design rules for materials, mounting and bonding together with optomechanical design.
• Correlate models with test data from thermal cycling, vibration, and metrology, and improve model fidelity over time.

Methods and leadership

• Define simulation standards, workflows, and automation for the optomechanical team.
• Serve as the company’s technical authority on thermal and structural simulation, and mentor engineers in analysis methods.

QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Optics, Physics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of thermal and structural simulation for precision optical or optomechanical systems.
• Expert user of FEA tools such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or COMSOL for thermal, static, modal, and dynamic analysis.
• Hands-on experience with integrated STOP analysis, including Zernike fitting of surface deformations and rigid-body motion transfer into optical design software.
• Strong understanding of material behavior for optics and optomechanics: glasses, ceramics, metals, adhesives, and their thermal and mechanical properties.
• Track record of correlating simulation with test data and of models that changed design decisions.
• Scripting skills in Python or MATLAB for pre- and post-processing and automation.
• Comfortable using AI tools in your day-to-day engineering work. We are building AI into how we design, simulate, and test optics.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Optical design software such as Zemax OpticStudio or CODE V, and STOP tools such as SigFit.
• CFD and electronics-cooling tools such as ANSYS Icepak, Fluent or Simcenter FloTHERM.
• Adhesive modeling, including cure shrinkage, viscoelasticity, and moisture absorption.
• Optical assemblies with sub-micron stability requirements.
• Environmental qualification standards such as Telcordia GR-468 or MIL-STD-810.

WHAT WE OFFER

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

BENEFITS

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.