Innovative Research Engineer, Laser & Optical Systems

1000scholars; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 41,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

UvA - University of Amsterdam is seeking a Research Engineer for Laser and Optical Systems in Amsterdam, Netherlands. You will own challenging engineering problems from idea to tested hardware within a small, fast-moving team.

You will design experiments, build prototypes, measure performance, identify failure modes, and iterate toward robust production-ready hardware, collaborating with researchers and early customers to meet real-world requirements.

Qualifications

• Master's degree, PhD, or equivalent in applied physics, optical engineering, electrical engineering, mechatronics, or related field.
• Hands‑on experience building and troubleshooting optical systems, ideally lasers, precision alignment, interferometry, spectroscopy, cavities, or photonic systems.
• Experience with electronics, instrumentation, and control software to work across discipline boundaries.
• An experimental mindset: turn open‑ended problems into testable ideas, learn quickly from data, keep going when first design fails.
• Initiative to own projects, communicate clearly in English, and collaborate in a small team.

Responsibilities

• Designing and building compact optical circuits with gain media, piezo and motorized actuators, optical cavities, spectroscopy cells, photonic ICs, and related components.
• Developing robotic methods to place, align, bond, and integrate optical components reproducibly.
• Building and benchmarking complete systems, such as laser sources and laser-frequency locks.
• Designing or integrating electronics, instrumentation, and control software to operate and test those systems.
• Translating prototypes into scalable production processes, fixtures, test procedures, and clear technical documentation.
• Working with researchers and early customers to understand requirements and deliver practical, reliable hardware.

Skills

Experimental mindset

English communication

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Hands-on optical systems

Electronics and control software

Own projects

Education

Master's/PhD in applied physics / optical engineering / electrical engineering / mechatronics

Tools

Automation

Optomechanics

PCB design

Embedded systems

Python

LabVIEW

Design for manufacture

Job description

UvA - University of Amsterdam is seeking a Research Engineer for Laser and Optical Systems in Amsterdam, Netherlands. You will own challenging engineering problems from idea to tested hardware within a small, fast-moving team.

You will design experiments, build prototypes, measure performance, identify failure modes, and iterate toward robust production-ready hardware, collaborating with researchers and early customers to meet real-world requirements.