R&D Engineering , Staff Engineer

Synopsys•Hillsboro, OR

2d•$120,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Synopsys is hiring a Staff Engineer for its Proteus R&D team within the EDA Group. The role focuses on computational lithography modeling for leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing, combining physics, mathematics, numerical methods, and high-performance software engineering. The engineer will develop and improve models and optimization methods that help semiconductor manufacturers calibrate models faster, improve accuracy across manufacturing conditions, and address complex lithography challenges. The role involves working with large empirical datasets, implementing production-quality C++ software, and using Python for prototyping and data analysis. The engineer will collaborate with product engineering, field support, and customers to understand requirements, integrate modeling solutions into existing workflows, troubleshoot model behavior, and validate results against manufacturing data. The team offers opportunities to specialize in modeling topics while gaining exposure to technologies across computational lithography.

Requirements

PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field is strongly preferred; recent PhD graduates are encouraged to apply, with a PhD and 1–2 years of industry experience described as ideal.
Alternatively, an MS in a related field with approximately 5 years of directly relevant industry experience in computational modeling, optimization, or numerical methods.
Strong C++ programming skills for performance-critical numerical software and Python skills for prototyping and data analysis.
Deep background in physical modeling, statistical analysis, and optimization methods, with hands-on experience applying these techniques to real-world problems.
Solid foundation in numerical computation, including algorithms for solving nonlinear systems, parameter fitting, and convergence analysis.
Demonstrated ability to analyze complex datasets, identify patterns and outliers, and translate findings into actionable model improvements.

Nice To Haves

Experience in computational lithography, optical modeling, or image processing.
Background working on large, complex software projects with multiple contributors and long product lifecycles.

Responsibilities

Design and implement optimization techniques that reduce model calibration runtime without sacrificing accuracy, using large-scale empirical datasets from leading-edge semiconductor processes.
Prototype and develop mathematical models for lithography simulation, translating specifications into production-quality C++ code integrated into the Proteus product line.
Calibrate and tune complex nonlinear model parameters using statistical analysis, numerical optimization, and domain-specific heuristics.
Collaborate with product engineering, field support, and customer-facing teams to understand technical requirements and integrate modeling solutions into existing workflows.
Analyze outlier data and develop sampling strategies to improve model robustness and generalization across process variations.
Maintain and extend existing computational lithography models, diagnosing performance bottlenecks and correctness issues in a large, mature codebase.
Work with field engineers and customers to troubleshoot model behavior, gather requirements for new features, and validate solutions against real manufacturing data.
Mentor colleagues and share expertise in optimization, numerical methods, and software engineering best practices.