Senior Optical Systems Engineer

Join Rivercell, an ambitious biotech startup, as a Senior Optical Systems Engineer. In this role, you will be responsible for the architecture, development, integration, and validation of optical subsystems. You will work closely with various teams, including microfluidics, software, computer vision, electronics, mechanical engineering, bio-laboratory automation, and biology. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a cutting-edge project in the field of biotechnology.

You have an engineering degree, MSc, PhD, or equivalent advanced training in optical engineering, photonics, applied physics, imaging science, or a related field.

You can reason across optics, optomechanics, electronics, software, materials, thermal behavior, calibration, and manufacturing tolerances.

Please let us know in your application if you specifically have experience with one or several of the following:

Patterned-light projection onto microfluidic, photoconductor, display, or lab-on-chip devices

Responsibilities

• Define the end-to-end optical architecture for the instrument and translate product requirements into measurable optical specifications.
• Design and prototype the bottom projection system and the top illumination and imaging system, ensuring they operate effectively together.
• Lead optical tolerancing and optomechanical co-design, including component placement, datums, alignment procedures, focus adjustment, and manufacturing variation.
• You have taken at least one optical system from requirements and bench prototypes through integration, verification, and a reproducible instrument or product.
• You combine strong optical-system judgment with a willingness to align components, build test setups, write analysis scripts, inspect images, and solve practical problems in the laboratory.
• You are comfortable owning both projection systems and imaging systems, even if your deepest expertise is in one of the two.
• Machine-vision or microscopy systems, including camera and sensor selection, lens selection, numerical aperture, depth of field, resolution, and signal-to-noise trade-offs
• Optical-design and simulation tools such as Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, LightTools, FRED, TracePro, or equivalent
• Optomechanical design, tolerance analysis, alignment strategies, thermal drift, vibration, and design for assembly
• Optical metrology and calibration, including MTF, distortion, irradiance mapping, flat-fielding, focus mapping, spectral measurements, and coordinate registration
• High-throughput imaging, pulsed illumination, camera triggering, autofocus, and synchronization with physical processes
• Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar tools for optical modeling, laboratory automation, image analysis, and data processing
• Transitioning optical prototypes into qualified modules or small-scale production, including supplier and production-test development

Requirements

• You have 6+ years of relevant experience developing and integrating optical systems for scientific instruments, machine vision, microscopy, medical devices, semiconductor equipment, industrial inspection, projection systems, or related applications.
• You are autonomous, committed, enthusiastic, and comfortable working with a can-do, creative, and challenging mindset.
• You are rigorous in experiment design, metrology, documentation, data interpretation, requirements management, and communication of uncertainty.
• You have excellent communication skills and are fluent in English; professional proficiency in French is helpful but not required.
• You have previous experience or knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
• Optical-system architecture, radiometry, geometrical optics, physical optics, imaging performance, and aberration management
• Illumination design, projection optics, structured light, DLP or DMD systems, LCoS, LED or laser sources, and optical filtering

Multi-camera imaging systems or tiled acquisition

• Registration between projection and imaging coordinate systems, structured-light calibration, or closed-loop optical control
• Imaging through multilayer glass, liquids, thin films, or reflective and partially transparent devices
• Droplet microfluidics, digital microfluidics, electrowetting, optoelectrowetting, or optoelectronic tweezers

Preferred

• Brightfield, darkfield, fluorescence, phase-contrast, or quantitative-phase microscopy