Senior Research Engineer in IC design and chip integration for Electromagnetic Surgical Tracking

Tyndall National Institute; Cork; Hybrid; EUR 73,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Generous annual leave

Professional development

Remote/onsite flexibility

Job summary

Tyndall National Institute invites applications for a Senior Research Engineer in IC design and chip integration for electromagnetic surgical tracking. The role focuses on designing analogue, mixed-signal and RF ICs, validating with AMS simulations and ensuring integration with sensor systems within the SensABLATE project.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, contribute to publications and engage with industry partners while maintaining high standards of safety and quality within a dynamic

Qualifications

• MEng or equivalent with about 5 years’ experience in electrical/electronic engineering, physics or related field.
• Typically 8 years’ experience in IC design for Analogue, Mixed-Signal or RF circuits.
• Experience with Cadence/Siemens Mentor/Synopsys simulation and layout tools.
• Experience with Verilog-AMS and IC system functional verification methods.

Responsibilities

• Understand system requirements from the Sensablate project partners.
• Define IC specifications and IC sub-block specifications for interoperability.
• Floorplan chip top level and run AMS simulations to verify performance.
• Schedule tasks and timelines for tapeouts and deliverables; mentor junior staff.
• Prepare design documentation, tests and characterisation plans; perform lab testing.

Skills

MEng+5y

IC design

Leadership

Verilog AMS

I2C/LVDS

Cadence

Siemens Mentor

Synopsys

Lab testing

Education

MEng

Tools

Cadence

Siemens Mentor

Synopsys

Job description

Senior Research Engineer in IC design and chip integration for Electromagnetic Surgical Tracking

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 €50m, 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 (M€10’s) 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 the Team

The integrated circuits group at Tyndall National Institute consists of a large team of researchers in silicon chip design, at various stages of their careers; from Masters researcher through to Principal Researcher. All are creating advanced, innovative and high impact Integrated Circuit technologies, which will shape our future lives. Excellent research is being carried out in areas such as Analog Precision Circuits, RF and Millimeter-wave Communications circuits, Cryogenic CMOS and Integrated Power Systems.

About the Project

SensABLATE – is a collaboration project between Endowave Ltd, Quadrant Scientific Ltd, Atlantic Technological University, and Tyndall, and aligns with Ireland’s Health & Wellbeing research priorities. It is funded through the Ireland’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The partners will collaborate to develop ablation, shape‑sensing and tissue sensing technologies which will enable the removal or destruction of unwanted tissue in the body – such as tumors or areas causing irregular heartbeats – without major surgery. Tyndall will contribute its expertise in integrated circuit implantable sensor design to the project.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Engage with the Sensablate project partners to understand the system requirements
• Define specifications for the integrated circuit
• Define specifications for the IC sub-blocks to ensure the interoperability of the IC
• Floorplan the chip top level
• Run AMS simulations to verify the functional performance of the complete IC system
• Schedule tasks durations and help prepare a timeline for tapeouts and project deliverables
• Provide direction for junior team members of the team
• Write design documentation and reports, as required
• Write a test and characterisation plan to evaluate the IC designs
• Perform lab testing and characterisation to quantify the performance of the designed sensors and circuits
• Work with the Sensablate project partners to implement the shape-sensing system
• Engage in the dissemination of the results of the research, as directed by and with the support of senior MCCI research staff
• Participate in Education and Public Engagement activities
• Ensure compliance with Tyndall’s Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other regulations
• To carry out any additional duties that may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post

Essential Criteria

• A MEng + 5 years’ experience in a relevant discipline such as electrical/electronic engineering, physics or related relevant discipline;
• Typically, 8 years’ experience in designing integrated circuits in the areas of Analogue, Mixed-Signal or RF circuit design;
• Experience with designing and simulating integrated circuits using tools such as Cadence/Siemens‑Mentor/Synoposys;
• Experience in IC system functional verification methodologies like Verilog AMS
• Experience of data interfaces such as I2C, LVDS buffers or similar
• Prior experience of IC design layout/physical design and system integration;
• Strong communication skills, as evidenced by prior experience such as working with/in industry, scientific paper writing, conference presentation and report writing
• Lab testing and characterising experience
• Previous leadership experience of managing teams to deliver to goals and objectives
• A willingness to contribute to the establishment of new ventures and spin‑out companies;

Desirable Criteria

• Good mathematical ability and knowledge of statistics
• Previous use of mathematical modelling tools such as MATLAB or Python
• Experience in RF design and testing of RF or Magnetic
• Experience in equipment and lab management
• Experience in training and supervising students/researchers/engineers
• Scientific publications

What We Offer

• Impactful Work: Opportunities to contribute to ground‑breaking research and innovation that shape Ireland’s economy and the society at large
• Continuous Learning: Strong support for formal training, further study and professional development
• Interdisciplinary Environment: Where academia, industry, and innovation intersect - supported by cutting‑edge infrastructure and expert knowledge
• Blended Working: Flexibility to work remotely and on‑site, where the role allows
• Comprehensive Benefits: Access to UCC pension, long‑term illness benefit, life assurance, and more
• Generous Leave: Competitive annual leave entitlements
• Equity & Inclusion: Athena Swan Bronze award holder, with ongoing initiatives led by a dedicated People and Culture team to ensure equity for all
• Core Values: A culture grounded in Ambition, Collaboration, Diversity, Excellence, and Integrity
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovation‑driven environment that welcomes entrepreneurial and creative thinkers, including those with start‑up experience
• Supportive Onboarding: Structured induction and mentoring to help new hires integrate and thrive
• Vibrant Culture: A collaborative, people‑first workplace with a strong sense of community

You will have the opportunity to work in a multi‑disciplinary team consisting of medical systems architects, integrated circuit designers, magnetics experts as well as

• Work as a highly valuable research team member in a world‑class technology centre that has a very young, dynamic, vibrant and self‑driven work environment that focuses on high impact research results which are strongly aligned to Industry partners
• Great career development and advancement that is highly visible to the semiconductor and Medtech industries through direct contact or IEEE publications
• Collaborating with Medical Device industry on advanced in‑vivo sensors
• Opportunity to attend and publish work at leading conferences such as IEEE Solid‑State Circuits conferences and IEEE BioCAS conference
• Attend training courses and workshops, use the latest industry CAD design tools
• Opportunity to publish in leading IEEE journals
• Excellent working conditions including 30 Days of annual leave

Terms of Employment

Contract Category: Full‑Time

Contract Type: Fixed Term, approximately 2 year contract.

Appointment may be made on the Admin II, Grade 6a Salary Scale (new entrants) salary € 73,492- €93,094 per annum Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Daniel O’ Hare

Closing date for applications is 1pm, 19th November 2026

Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer