DNA Origami Controls Architect - Contract

Astera Institute; Emeryville (CA); Hybrid; USD 165,312 - 261,744; Part time

Job summary

Astera Institute seeks a Controls & Systems-Design Consultant to define the control-system architecture for a DNA-origami actuator project. The role focuses on early constraints, system-identification planning, and collaboration with physics and wet-lab teams in Emeryville.

The engagement is fractional and contract-based, reporting to the project lead. The position emphasizes translating sensor data into design decisions, establishing a stable closed-loop approach, and preparing a clear handoff

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in controls, robotics, electrical engineering, or related field with hands-on closed-loop control-system design.
• Track record translating plant and sensor characteristics into design constraints for precise instrumentation.

Responsibilities

• Define control-system requirements and constraints for the DNA Origami actuator–sensor system, including bandwidth, noise floor, latency, and dynamics.
• Review sensor and drive-stack designs through a controls lens to flag stability and observability issues.
• Specify data logging needs for experiments to enable later modeling and ML analysis.
• Sketch the closed-loop control architecture and a simulation/estimation plan for the incoming engineer to implement.
• Provide a clean, documented handoff to the team.

Skills

Controls design

Kalman filtering

System identification

On-site collaboration

Education

PhD or MS in controls

Equivalent industry depth

Tools

Lab instrumentation

Simulation tools

Job description

Astera Institute seeks a Controls & Systems-Design Consultant to define the control-system architecture for a DNA-origami actuator project. The role focuses on early constraints, system-identification planning, and collaboration with physics and wet-lab teams in Emeryville.

The engagement is fractional and contract-based, reporting to the project lead. The position emphasizes translating sensor data into design decisions, establishing a stable closed-loop approach, and preparing a clear handoff