PhD Position - Low-Light Readout Electronics for Wearable iNIRS Sensing

Tyndall National Institute; Cork; On-site; EUR 22,500 - 27,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full PhD funding

Tax-free stipend

Job summary

The CARE theme at Rinn Semiconductor – Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation, hosted at Tyndall National Institute, offers a fully funded PhD position focused on balanced photodetection and low-noise readout electronics for interferometric near-infrared spectroscopy (iNIRS). This PhD will build the detection chain of a wearable neonatal care platform.

You will design a CMOS readout, work with system architects, and contribute to education, safety compliance, and collaboration across

Qualifications

• Must hold a master's degree or an equivalent in electronic engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong academic background in electronic engineering, microelectronics, physics, or related fields.
• Project/course experience in analogue/mixed-signal circuit design.
• Knowledge of circuit design tools such as LTSPICE, Cadence, or equivalent.
• Proficiency in programming languages (Python, MATLAB, C++).
• Must meet English language requirements for postgraduate study at UCC.

Responsibilities

• Design low-noise CMOS readout circuits for a photodiode detector.
• Develop a readout array capable of reading 30 photodiodes.
• Calculate specifications with system architects for the readout electronics.
• Participate in education and public engagement activities and ensure compliance with quality, health, and safety standards.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

C++

Data analysis

Education

Master's degree in electronic engineering or related field

Tools

LTSPICE

Cadence

QSPICE

Job description

PhD Position – Low-Light Readout Electronics for Wearable iNIRS Sensing (Rinn Semiconductor – Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation – CARE Theme (Digital Healthcare) – CARE 2: Wearable Biomarker Sensing Platform for Neonatal Care)

About Tyndall

Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep‑tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the ‘Chips for Europe Initiative’ (EU Chips Act). Tyndall is Ireland’s leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep‑tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms. The Institute’s key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall’s mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than €50 million, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers‑in‑residence.

With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m² research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall’s existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland. Tyndall’s expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (€10 million‑plus) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra‑high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.

About Rinn Semiconductor

Rinn Semiconductors is part of a constellation of seven major new centres which collectively represent an investment of €460 million in advanced research by the Government of Ireland. Rinn Semiconductors aims to lead Ireland’s response to the end of Moore’s Law scaling, the point where traditional improvements in computer chips slows down or ends, by pioneering modular integrated circuit‑based (chiplet‑based) semiconductor design and integration. With deep expertise in the areas of heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging, the Rinn Semiconductors team propound to enable transformative advances in these technologies and to apply them in three main application areas: Future Internet, Sustainable Energy and Environment, and Digital Healthcare. A key objective of the Rinn is to foster deep collaboration across the seven universities and institutions involved, by leveraging the semiconductor fabrication facilities at Tyndall, ultimately creating a cohesive “atom to systems” value chain in Ireland, connecting everything from basic materials research through to complete technology solutions. The Rinn will operate in close collaboration with Ireland’s vibrant semiconductor industry sector which supports 20,000 high‑skilled jobs and includes world‑leading multinational companies, small and medium‑sized enterprises and start‑ups.

The successful applicant will:

• Join a world‑class and highly diverse community of more than 100 PhD students, more than 100 Postdoctoral Researchers and around 35 experienced PIs and Research Fellows
• Engage with over 30 industry partners to learn about their work and future career opportunities
• Become an in‑house entrepreneur and explore the opportunity to commercialise your research through a Spin‑Out company
• Follow in the footsteps of our current trainees where over 86 % of PhDs have transitioned into industry with some of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, in Ireland and the EU
• If you aspire to be a future PI and academic research leader, our programme will support you to build your research track record and vision, equipping you to take the next steps on your career journey

About the Role

The CARE (Digital Healthcare) theme at Rinn Semiconductor – Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation, hosted at Tyndall National Institute (a research flagship of University College Cork, UCC), is offering a fully funded PhD position focused on balanced photodetection and low‑noise readout electronics for interferometric near‑infrared spectroscopy (iNIRS). This research sits within CARE 2, which aims to develop a wearable biomarker sensing platform for neonatal care. Today’s wearable health monitors rely on continuous‑wave (CW) optical technology, which suffers from skin‑colour bias, tissue‑scattering inaccuracies, and motion artefacts, and on bulky PCB‑based electronics that limit cost, size, and power efficiency. By combining innovations in integrated silicon photonics and heterogeneous semiconductor integration, CARE 2 will deliver a compact, low‑power, wearable interferometric near‑infrared spectroscopy (iNIRS) platform for accurate, multi‑biomarker sensing, with a clinical demonstration in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This PhD will build the detection chain of that platform: a custom low‑noise ASIC readout for photodiodes capable of capturing the weak coherent signals at the core of iNIRS biomarker sensing.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Work with the system architects to calculate the specifications required for the readout circuits
• Design a novel low‑noise CMOS readout circuit for a photodiode detector. Based on the single‑channel design develop a readout array capable of reading out an array of 30 photodiodes
• Participate in education and public engagement activities
• Ensure compliance with Tyndall’s Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other regulations

Indicative Research Outputs

• Output 1 (M6): Specifications for readout circuits
• Output 2 (M24): A low‑noise CMOS single‑channel readout ASIC taped out designed in wearable diffuse coherence spectroscopy
• Output 3 (M38): A photodiode 30‑channel array readout circuit taped out
• Output 4 (M48): Benchtop electrical demonstrator of iNIRS photodiode array readout circuits

Milestones

Specifications (M6) – Single channel readout tapeout (M24) – array readout circuit tapeout (M38) – Benchtop electrical readout demonstration (M48).

Essential Criteria

• Must hold a master’s degree, or an equivalent qualifying degree in electronic engineering or a related discipline to enrol in the PhD programme
• Strong academic background in electronic engineering, microelectronics, physics, or a related discipline
• Project and course experience in analogue/mixed‑signal circuit design
• Knowledge of circuit design tools like LTSPICE, QSPICE, Cadence or equivalent
• Proficiency in a relevant modelling/programming language (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C++)
• Must meet UCC’s postgraduate English language requirements through a recognised test qualification or an approved institution exemption

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with ASIC design, photodiode/photodetector readout, or balanced detection
• Knowledge of coherent or low‑light optical sensing
• Enthusiasm for translational, application‑driven research with real clinical impact in digital healthcare
• Demonstrate a strong desire to innovate and pursue advanced research through relevant skills and project experience

What We Offer

• Full PhD funding, including tuition fees and a tax‑free stipend
• A position within Rinn Semiconductor – Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation, working at the interface of photonics, semiconductors, and digital healthcare
• Cross‑theme collaboration with the HET (heterogeneous integration), NET, and PACK (packaging) themes, alongside an extensive network of industry and clinical partners
• The opportunity to contribute to a next‑generation medical diagnostic platform with direct clinical translation

Supervision

• Supervisor: Electronics team
• Co‑supervisor: Biophotonics team
• Cross‑theme links: HET, NET, PACK

Terms of Studentship

The annual stipend is €25,000.00. In addition, annual tuition fees will be paid by the Tyndall National Institute. Duration of study: 4 years. Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to supervisor Daniel O’Hare.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications for this position is rolling until it’s filled.

Application Instructions

Please attach an up‑to‑date CV/Resume and a brief motivation letter outlining how you meet the ‘Essential Criteria’ for this role. Postgraduate applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency as per UCC regulations (https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/english/postgraduate/). Certificates should be valid (usually less than two years old) and should be uploaded with their application.