Principal Scientist — Marine Acoustics

Sofar Ocean•San Francisco, CA

2d•$137,000 - $185,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Sofar designs, builds, and deploys ocean sensing networks at a global scale that provide unique observational knowledge of the ocean environment. We are expanding our sensing capabilities into underwater acoustics to detect, classify, and locate underwater objects, and to create an acoustic map of the marine environment. We are looking for a world expert in ocean acoustics to set the research and development vision for Sofar’s underwater acoustics platform.

Requirements

Deep expertise in underwater acoustics
Experience developing acoustic sensing systems or algorithms for detection, classification, localization, mapping, or environmental characterization
Strong understanding of marine acoustic propagation, ambient noise, signal processing, and the practical constraints of ocean sensing
Experience working with real-world acoustic datasets, field deployments, and/or operational sensing systems
Experience applying statistical signal processing, machine learning, or modern AI methods to acoustic detection, classification, or environmental inference.
Excellent communication skills, and you excel working in a cross-functional team
Experience translating scientific research into operational products or customer-facing capabilities
Ph.D. in acoustics, ocean engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, oceanography, or a related field, but we will consider highly qualified candidates of any education level with equivalent experience
Strong reputation within the ocean acoustics community, with experience leading externally funded research programs or strategic technical partnerships.
Enthusiasm and experience in leveraging LLMs to magnify personal impact

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with embedded sensing systems, firmware constraints, or edge processing for acoustic applications
Familiarity with the constraints of autonomous ocean platforms, including limited power, bandwidth, onboard compute, sensor calibration, and long-duration deployments.
Comfort working in production codebases when necessary to personally deliver changes

Responsibilities

Lead Sofar’s acoustics research and development strategy, defining the scientific vision for an underwater acoustics platform that supports real-world marine applications
Develop capabilities to detect, classify, and localize underwater objects using passive and/or active acoustic sensing methods
Advance methods for creating acoustic maps of the marine environment, including characterization of ambient soundscapes, propagation conditions, and relevant oceanographic context
Provide an acoustics-centric perspective on sensing system design, deployment strategy, data quality, and performance validation
Collaborate with Sofar’s oceanic and sensing scientists, software engineers, and firmware teams to translate acoustic research into operational products
Coordinate and conduct field experiments, data analyses, and simulation studies to evaluate acoustic system performance in real-world ocean conditions
Bring deep expertise in marine acoustics to complement Sofar’s ocean science, sensing, and forecasting teams
Help define product requirements, technical roadmaps, and research priorities for new underwater acoustic capabilities
Represent Sofar externally with customers, research partners, government agencies, and the broader ocean acoustics community.