About the position
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Department of Physics at The Pennsylvania State University are seeking to fill a Research Engineer - Intermediate position in the departments' in-house electronics design facility. The successful candidate will work on a variety of collaborative physics and astrophysics projects under the guidance of the Detector Development Lead and in collaboration with faculty in the two departments. The DDL maintains expertise in detection of photons and particles, using advanced techniques in particle physics and astronomy. The projects will range from satellite- and balloon-based observatories to deep underground experiments, with science goals aimed at high-energy astrophysics, particle astrophysics, and fundamental physics projects. The Research Engineer-Intermediate will assist engineering staff in the Detector Development lab in the development, fabrication, installation and use of custom circuit boards, electronics systems, and/or firmware relevant for these projects. The successful candidate will be a member of a team in the lab which currently includes three staff engineers.
Responsibilities
- Assist with the design and execution of hardware, firmware, and software solutions.
- Design Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).
- Test electronic hardware using tools such as digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, and VNAs.
- Installation and deployment of hardware, firmware, and software systems by working at integration facilities.
- Make flight-hardened cable assemblies.
- Work with DDL staff and students.
- Communicate with faculty at Penn State and researchers around the world on physics and astronomy projects.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science.
- 1+ years of relevant experience.
Nice-to-haves
- Using Altium Designer.
- HDL programming.
- Programming microcontrollers.
- Familiarity with common hardware communication protocols such as i2c and SPI.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Robust retirement plans.
- Substantial paid time off including holidays, vacation, and sick time.
- 75% tuition discount available to employees and eligible spouses and children.
