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Astera

Optical Engineer, Precision Instrumentation

Emeryville HQ$150k–$250kfulltimemidAdded today

About this role

Astera Neuro seeks an exceptional optical engineer to design and build cutting-edge optical instruments for large-scale neuroscience research, including two-photon imaging and photostimulation systems. You will own complex precision hardware projects end-to-end, working collaboratively with scientists to develop novel technologies that don't yet exist commercially.

What you'll do

  • Design and build precision optical systems for neuroscience experiments, including high-speed two-photon imaging and photostimulation microscopes
  • Develop advanced miniature two-photon microscopes for simultaneous imaging and photostimulation in freely moving animals
  • Design and integrate electronics, control hardware, and software interfaces for optical systems with data acquisition
  • Make and defend design tradeoffs across performance, manufacturability, cost, and timeline
  • Work directly with scientists and collaborators from concept through fabrication, integration, and deployment
  • Manage fabrication decisions, including in-house machining, 3D printing, and outsourcing as appropriate

What they're looking for

  • Optical design and fabrication fundamentals
  • Precision hardware design and build experience in demanding industries
  • End-to-end instrument ownership from concept to reliable operation
  • CAD/CAM and 3D printing proficiency
  • Electronics design and embedded systems integration
  • Familiarity with femtosecond lasers and nonlinear microscopy
  • Data acquisition system integration and TTL synchronization
  • Optical alignment and tight tolerance part fabrication
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Astera

Astera builds advanced infrastructure for large-scale distributed simulations, neuroscience research tools, and knowledge-sharing platforms aimed at accelerating scientific discovery. The company is hiring software engineers, ML researchers, and scientist-engineers to develop high-performance systems, specialized neuroscience instrumentation, and data-efficient machine learning approaches.

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Likely interview questions

  • Walk us through a precision hardware project you owned end-to-end—what were the biggest design challenges and how did you resolve tradeoffs?
  • Tell us about your experience with optical design and alignment. What's the tightest tolerance you've worked with and how did you verify it?
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