Senior Photonics Systems Engineer – Optical, Integrated & Quantum/Atomic Photonics

Location: Trivandrum, India / Tokyo, Japan

About Us
Augsense Lab is developing next-generation RF sensing and remote sensing technologies at the intersection of quantum/atomic sensing, optical engineering, integrated photonics, and RF-photonics. Our work spans photonic integrated circuits, electro-optic devices, atom–photon interaction platforms, advanced sensing architectures, and deployable photonic hardware.
Our engineering culture is built around first-principles thinking, rigorous experimentation, and rapid learning. We follow a fail-fast approach focused on systematically reducing technical uncertainty. While we continuously plan for and anticipate challenges associated with higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), our primary focus is on rapidly validating and completing lower-TRL milestones where the greatest technical uncertainties exist. This approach enables us to make informed architectural decisions early, accelerate learning cycles, and reduce downstream development risk.

Culture
We operate as a flat, engineering-driven organization where ideas are evaluated on technical merit rather than hierarchy, age, title, or tenure. Team members are encouraged to challenge assumptions, contribute across disciplines, and take ownership of solving difficult problems.
We believe leadership is earned through technical contribution, initiative, collaboration, and the ability to help the team move forward. Whether early in a career or highly experienced, every team member is expected to contribute, learn, teach, and participate in technical decision-making.

Role Overview
You will contribute to the design, modeling, characterization, and integration of advanced optical and photonic systems. The role spans device-level innovation through system-level implementation and requires close collaboration across photonics, electronics, packaging, MEMS, and sensing technologies.

Key Responsibilities
Design and optimize optical and photonic architectures for sensing, communication, and signal-processing applications.
Develop waveguide-based optical subsystems, resonant structures, coupling schemes, and integrated photonic devices.
Analyze and improve optical performance, including loss mechanisms, polarization behavior, wavelength selectivity, and fabrication sensitivities.
Design optical interfaces between lasers, photonic devices, detectors, and atomic systems.
Support experimental validation, characterization, and performance optimization of photonic hardware.
Collaborate across design, fabrication, packaging, and testing activities to accelerate prototype development.
Contribute to the transition of research concepts into deployable hardware platforms.
Desired Experience
Experience in one or more of the following areas:
Optical system design and architecture.
Integrated photonics and photonic device engineering.
Waveguide design, mode engineering, and polarization control.
Resonators, optical filters, Bragg gratings, and wavelength-selective devices.
Electro-optic modulators and RF-photonic systems.
Nonlinear optics and frequency-comb generation.
Visible and near-infrared photonic systems.
Photonic crystal structures and advanced optical confinement techniques.
Atomic and quantum photonic platforms.
Atom–photon interaction systems and precision optical measurements.
MEMS-photonics integration.
Optical packaging, fiber coupling, and alignment.
Photonic device characterization and validation.
Physics Simulation, Modeling & Analysis
Strong Python programming and scripting skills for scientific computing, simulation, optimization, and experimental data analysis.
Experience developing and validating physics-based models of optical, photonic, electromagnetic, thermal, atomic, or multiphysics systems.
Ability to translate physical concepts into numerical simulations and predictive design frameworks.
Experience correlating simulation results with experimental measurements and device performance.
Familiarity with numerical methods, optimization techniques, parameter extraction, and uncertainty analysis.
Development of simulation and characterization workflows to accelerate design–fabrication–test iteration cycles.
Team & Collaboration
Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team spanning photonics, electronics, MEMS, packaging, software, and sensing technologies.
Strong technical communication and documentation skills.
English is the primary working language of the team and is used for technical discussions, design reviews, documentation, and collaboration across international partners.
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly across disciplines and organizational boundaries.
How to Apply
Please send your resume along with a brief summary of relevant projects, publications, patents, open-source contributions, or hardware systems you have designed, built, or tested to:
careers@augsenselab.com
Company: Augsense Lab
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