About The Position
The Physicist will provide senior-level expertise in laser-tissue interaction and laser safety engineering for a new optical technology. The role leads research into optical energy delivery, light-tissue interactions, tissue damage mechanisms, and the safety and product-classification frameworks needed to support a safe, viable implementation. The position combines theoretical and experimental work, including designing and operating laboratory setups using lasers and biological tissue models, establishing damage thresholds and exposure margins, and developing analytical and numerical models to predict tissue response. It translates biological damage models and physical limits into system-level specifications, hardware constraints, safeguards, and compliance strategies. The Physicist also leads laser product classification and safety compliance, assesses risks and mitigation pathways, and communicates findings through safety reports, compliance dossiers, and technical whitepapers. The role partners with teams across hardware, firmware, optics, and human factors to inform product feasibility and architecture decisions.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- 10 or more years of hands-on experience in laser physics, biomedical optics, or laser-matter interaction.
- Demonstrated experimental research experience investigating light-tissue interaction and photo-induced tissue damage, including thermal, photochemical, or photomechanical mechanisms.
- Direct laboratory experience working with lasers and biological tissues, tissue optics, ex-vivo or in-vitro models, or tissue phantoms.
- In-depth expertise in laser safety standards and formal classification.
- Strong hands-on laboratory capabilities, including optical beam delivery, beam profiling, dosimetry, and sensitive detection and characterization instrumentation.
- Outstanding communication skills and the ability to connect fundamental biophysics and laser safety standards with practical hardware design for cross-functional teams.
Nice To Haves
- Postdoctoral research or leadership experience in biophotonics, laser-tissue dynamics, or medical laser technology.
- Experience navigating regulatory approval or safety certification for consumer or medical optical systems.
- Deep understanding of ultrafast or short-pulse laser interactions with biological tissue and nonlinear optical damage regimes.
- Proficiency in numerical modeling of optical propagation in scattering media, such as Monte Carlo light-transport simulations or FEM bio-heat transfer.
Responsibilities
- Define experimental and theoretical research strategies to characterize light-tissue interactions, optical penetration, and thermal and mechanical effects in biological media.
- Design, build, and operate laboratory setups to investigate photo-induced tissue damage, including in dermal and ocular tissue models, and establish damage thresholds and exposure margins.
- Lead laser safety engineering, formal laser classification, and product safety compliance, including relevant IEC 60825, ANSI Z136, and FDA CDRH frameworks.
- Translate biological damage models and physical limits into system-level specifications, hardware constraints, operational safeguards, and safety-compliant system designs.
- Develop and validate analytical and numerical models, including Monte Carlo light-transport and thermal bio-heat models, to predict tissue response and optical safety margins.
- Analyze and report empirical findings to support rigorous, risk-informed decisions by cross-functional engineering teams.
- Partner with hardware, firmware, optics, and human-factors teams to assess feasibility and advance safe product implementations.
- Lead biological and physical risk assessments for novel optical concepts, identifying exposure limits, hazards, and mitigation pathways.
- Conduct hands-on experiments with lasers and biological tissue models to measure and quantify damage mechanisms under varied irradiation profiles.
- Define laser product classification strategies, engineering controls, interlocks, and compliance documentation.
- Characterize system-level physical limits and optical delivery parameters, including wavelength, pulse duration, fluence, and beam profile.
- Author safety reports, compliance dossiers, and technical whitepapers to support engineering decisions and regulatory alignment.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
