R&D Engineer at Picarro in Santa Clara, CA

Picarro is pioneering a unique confluence of hardware, software and cloud-based computing unlike anything being done today. By manufacturing the precision instruments at the core of this technology as well as developing the algorithms that enable cogent information to be derived from the data, we are transforming how world-class scientific, industrial and regulatory compliance measurements are made, and more importantly, who makes them.

Infrared optical spectroscopy is a proven technology for delivering precise, real-time measurement of the constituents in a gas stream with high sensitivity and selectivity. Recent developments in laser technology allow for a very significant increase in the number of species that can be measured simultaneously, leading to an unprecedented increase in the amount of information that can be collected and to corresponding challenges in extracting information from the results.

The position will offer many opportunities and continuous intellectual challenges as you participate in the demanding process of designing, implementing and testing high-performance instruments which make use of state-of-the-art components in novel ways and develop them from prototypes to manufacturable items. To be successful, you will need to develop a good understanding of many different fields and be able to apply this knowledge to solving problems which arise along the way. This position gives you the freedom to be successful - to bring your creative energy to an unrivalled opportunity and to do meaningful work that will make a difference.

The Opportunity:

Picarro is seeking an individual to work side by side with the Chief Systems Architect and engineering team. The individual needs to have a keen interest in scientific instrumentation, and the design of systems and software to participate in the development of current and next-generation instruments and algorithms for high-precision gas sensing based on broadly tunable infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy and related technologies.

These instruments are used in a wide variety of applications in scientific and industrial fields, such as large-scale environmental monitoring networks, innovative scientific research in challenging environmental conditions, semiconductor manufacturing and for the detection and quantification of leaks in natural gas production, transmission and distribution networks. We seek continually to improve our existing products and apply novel technology to create new products consistent with the growing needs of our customers.

Working with the hardware, firmware and software in such instruments and the associated data acquisition systems requires an understanding of a wide range of topics ranging from optical physics, control systems theory, statistical data analysis, algorithm design and interfacing between software and hardware. We use programmable logic devices and multi-processor systems as the key elements for real-time data acquisition and processing, so this position will also provide many opportunities to become conversant with this powerful and rapidly developing technology in the context of making precision measurements.

Preference will be given to candidates with a broad range of interests and skills and who have a background in developing and interfacing with high-precision instrumentation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Being involved with the early stage development of new analyzers – writing control and acquisition software for laboratory instruments and data acquisition systems which can later be adapted for dedicated hardware in the manufactured product.
• Develop advanced algorithms for instrument health monitoring, abnormal behavior self-correction, data analysis and generation of actionable information.
• Play a lead role in setting up the manufacturing/production processes for existing and newly developed products.

Required Skills:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in engineering or physical science.
• Experience with conducting experiments and developing scientific instruments in a laboratory or industrial context.
• Experience with developing software to interface with and control laboratory equipment.
• Experience with statistical data analysis and modeling of physical systems.
• Ability to work in a team with other scientists, engineers and application specialists.
• Ability to work across functional boundaries and organizational levels both inside and outside the company.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Extremely organized, quality and detail oriented, with an ability to multi-task in a high growth environment.
• Familiarity with scientific computation, preferably with a good working knowledge of Python