Computational Optics Engineer

Cosmic Frontier Labs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cosmic Frontier Labs seeks a computational optics engineer to model, simulate, and improve the imaging performance of our space telescopes, and to connect those models to what we build and measure.

If you love turning physics into capability and can translate models into buildable hardware, we want to talk. You will stand up Python-based simulation pipelines and drive design decisions for on-orbit hardware.

Qualifications

• Strong education background in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, plus 4 or more years building and owning imaging performance models for real hardware.
• Strong hands on experience with wavefront and image modeling, including PSF, MTF, WFE budgets, tolerancing, and stray light analysis.
• Proven ability to build simulation pipelines in Python and turn models into actionable design decisions.
• Track record of correlating models to lab data and closing the loop between design, build, and test.

Responsibilities

• Build and own wavefront and image performance models (PSF, MTF, WFE budgets) and make them useful for design decisions.
• Work on stray light modeling, tolerancing, and reconstruction methods where they actually buy performance.
• Correlate models to lab data, define acceptance tests, and help close the loop between design, build, and test.

Skills

Wavefront modeling

Image modeling

PSF

MTF

WFE budgets

Tolerancing

Stray light analysis

Python

Lab data correlation

Education

Optical Engineering or Physics degree

Tools

Python

Job description

Cosmic Frontier’s mission is to dramatically expand access to high performance space telescopes, democratize the scientific process, and build tools for exploring the Universe.

Cosmic Frontier team members own the full lifecycle of spaceflight hardware and software, from early architecture through flight. We build and fly real hardware. The systems you build will go to orbit within the next two years.

Role Description:

We’re looking for a computational optics engineer to model, simulate, and improve the imaging performance of our space telescopes, and to connect those models to what we build and measure.

If you love turning physics into capability and can translate models into buildable hardware, we want to talk.

What you’ll do:

• Build and own wavefront and image performance models (PSF, MTF, WFE budgets) and make them useful for design decisions
• Work on stray light modeling, tolerancing, and reconstruction methods where they actually buy performance
• Correlate models to lab data, define acceptance tests, and help close the loop between design, build, and test

What Success looks like in the first 90 days:

• Stand up a v1 simulation pipeline in Python that produces the metrics we will track program wide
• Deliver a v1 performance and stability budget and identify the top sensitivity drivers
• Define an optical verification plan that ties lab measurements to on orbit performance

Required qualifications:

• Strong education background in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, plus 4 or more years building and owning imaging performance models for real hardware
• Strong hands on experience with wavefront and image modeling, including PSF, MTF, WFE budgets, tolerancing, and stray light analysis
• Proven ability to build simulation pipelines in Python and turn models into actionable design decisions
• Track record of correlating models to lab data and closing the loop between design, build, and test

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with space based or high performance optical systems, ideally telescopes or remote sensing payloads
• Background in stability analysis and performance budgeting across thermal, structural, and optical domains
• Familiarity with reconstruction methods or computational imaging techniques that improve system level performance
• Comfortable operating in an early stage environment where you define processes, move fast, and own outcomes
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mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory 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