Photonics Summer Placement: Hands-On Laser & Optics Design

Leonardo UK Ltd; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave pro rata

Company pension with up to 15%

Mental health support

Access to online courses (Coursera/LL)

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Photonics Summer Placement student to work in our Advanced Targeting Engineering Team for 13 weeks. You’ll contribute to laser and optical design, modelling, and lab work, gaining hands-on experience from day one.

The role runs 1 June 2027 to 27 August 2027, with a hybrid arrangement and at least three days on site weekly, embedding you with multidisciplinary teams across the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Working towards a master’s level degree, typically in Physics or related field.
• Relevant photonics experience from lab work or internships.
• Experience with technical writing and project planning.
• Strong analytical and modelling skills, plus lab programming ability.
• Evidence of teamwork and enthusiasm for photonics.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to laser/optical design, lens design and optical ray tracing.
• Perform performance modelling, tolerancing and FEM problem solving.
• Hands-on lab work with solid-state lasers or fibre optics.
• Carry out verification testing and troubleshoot complex assemblies.
• Gain training and broader business awareness through sessions.

Skills

Photonics experience

Analytical skills

Modelling skills

Lab work

Teamwork

Education

Master's degree in Physics or related field

Penultimate year student

Tools

Zemax Optics Studio

Matlab

LabVIEW

COMSOL

Job description

Leonardo UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Photonics Summer Placement student to work in our Advanced Targeting Engineering Team for 13 weeks. You’ll contribute to laser and optical design, modelling, and lab work, gaining hands-on experience from day one.

The role runs 1 June 2027 to 27 August 2027, with a hybrid arrangement and at least three days on site weekly, embedding you with multidisciplinary teams across the product lifecycle.