Senior Optical Scientist

Corning•City of Corning, NY

3d•$91,394 - $125,667

About The Position

The Optical Scientist will support Gorilla Glass Development as part of the IOX Metrology Group. The role develops, operates, and improves optical measurement methods for chemically strengthened glass, with hands-on experimental work to characterize stress-related optical behavior in glass materials. This laboratory-focused position involves designing, assembling, aligning, operating, and troubleshooting optical measurement setups. It requires knowledge of polarization optics, birefringence, retardation, and optical characterization techniques, as well as the ability to produce reliable experimental data and communicate findings clearly. The scientist builds experiments, improves measurement capability, solves instrumentation issues, and partners with technical teams to support materials and process development.

Requirements

MS or PhD in Physics, Applied Physics, Optics, Photonics, Materials Science, Engineering, or a related technical field; alternatively, a BS degree with 5+ years of relevant hands-on optics or laboratory experience may be considered.
Experience working in an experimental laboratory, research environment, metrology group, or product-development setting.
Hands-on experience building, aligning, operating, and troubleshooting optical laboratory setups.
Working knowledge of polarization optics, birefringence, retardation, and optical measurement principles.
Familiarity with common optical components and instrumentation, such as lasers or light sources, detectors, cameras, polarizers, waveplates, lenses, microscopes, motion stages, and data-acquisition systems.
Ability to follow experimental procedures, maintain detailed records, and generate high-quality, repeatable data.
Experience analyzing and organizing experimental data using common technical software tools.
Ability to identify practical problems in an experiment and take a structured approach to troubleshooting and resolution.
Strong attention to detail, laboratory safety, and experimental rigor.
Ability to communicate results effectively in written reports, presentations, and discussions with technical teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with glass metrology, chemically strengthened glass, ion exchange (IOX), or materials characterization.
Experience measuring or evaluating stress-optic effects, residual stress, retardation, birefringence, or refractive-index variation in transparent materials.
Familiarity with imaging systems, polarization imaging, optical microscopy, or automated measurement systems.
Experience with laboratory automation, motion control, image analysis, or data-acquisition software.
Experience supporting industrial R&D, process development, manufacturing technology, or product-development programs.
Familiarity with basic optical modeling, ray tracing, or simulation tools.

Responsibilities

Build, align, operate, and maintain experimental optical laboratory setups for characterizing glass materials.
Perform optical measurements related to stress, birefringence, retardation, refractive index, and waveguiding behavior in chemically strengthened glass.
Support development and improvement of optical metrology methods used for ion exchange (IOX) process characterization.
Apply polarization-based measurement techniques to evaluate transparent materials and identify stress-related optical effects.
Prepare samples, conduct experiments, collect data, and ensure measurements are completed safely, accurately, and consistently.
Troubleshoot optical instruments, laboratory hardware, alignment issues, data-quality concerns, and measurement-method limitations.
Improve the repeatability, accuracy, throughput, and robustness of existing optical measurement techniques.
Analyze experimental data and summarize results using appropriate plots, reports, and technical documentation.
Work with materials, process, and product-development teams to correlate optical measurements with glass composition, processing conditions, and material performance.
Document experimental procedures, setup configurations, observations, and results clearly and in an organized manner.
Communicate experimental findings, technical issues, and recommendations to project teams and stakeholders.

Benefits

Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives.
100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions.
Matching contributions to a 401(k) savings plan; total company retirement contributions can reach between 7% and 12% of pay, depending on age and years of service.
Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
Paid parental leave and family-building support.
Fitness benefits.
Company-paid life insurance and disability benefits.
Disease management programs.
Paid time off.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Recognition program to celebrate successes and reward exceptional contributions.