Electro-Optical/Adaptive Optics Engineer

Fusion Energy Base; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Equity opportunity

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Xcimer Energy is seeking an Electro-Optical/Adaptive Optics Engineer for onsite work in Denver, CO. You will work across simulation and hardware to develop AO components, align the beamline, and improve beam quality for inertial fusion energy applications.

The role covers wave-optics modeling, control algorithm development, and collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of optical, mechanical, controls, and software engineers to deliver advanced laser capabilities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of optical science/engineering experience, including 3+ years in adaptive optics systems.
• Experience with adaptive optics using wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors and reconstruction methods.
• Experience with high-fidelity physical wave-optics propagation in near/far fields.
• Hands-on optical subsystem integration and alignment across disciplines.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or C/C++/C# for modeling and control.

Responsibilities

• Develop optimization routines for the adaptive optics control loop and compare to measured data.
• Design algorithms for spatial beam shaping using phase plates and adaptive optics.
• Align, calibrate, and operate AO hardware on a high-energy laser system including deformable mirrors and wavefront sensors.
• Build auto-alignment methods to speed up beamline setup and repeatability.
• Characterize the optical environment and translate findings into AO requirements.
• Support wavefront propagation modeling and validate with measurements.
• Contribute to wavefront error budgets and tolerance analyses.
• Collaborate with vendors to develop next-gen AO platforms focusing on deformable mirrors and wavefront sensors.
• Integrate AO within the larger laser control system with proper interlocks and UI feedback.
• Write/test procedures and calibration records to ensure reproducibility.
• Maintain contamination-control discipline for deep-UV, high-fluence optics.

Skills

AO systems experience

Wavefront sensors & deformable mirrors

MATLAB/Python/C/C++

Multidisciplinary engineering

Beam shaping & optimization

Education

B.S. in optical science/engineering, physics, or related field

Job description

Electro-Optical/Adaptive Optics EngineerDenver, COEngineering – Optical Engineering /Full-Time /On-site Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion!

This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.

As an Electro-Optical / Adaptive Optics Engineer, you will work across simulation and hardware: helping develop wave-optics propagation models that predict what the beamline will do, writing and tuning the control algorithms that correct it, and aligning and operating the AO hardware that closes the loop. You will help specify next-generation AO components and work with vendors to build them, alongside a multidisciplinary team of optical, mechanical, controls, and software engineers developing the surrounding systems in parallel. Your work will directly contribute to improving beam quality, stability, and system performance, enabling the delivery of unprecedented laser capabilities for inertial fusion energy (IFE). We are looking for our engineers and scientists to apply their technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy!

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement optimization routines for the adaptive optics control loop, and characterize their performance against measured data.
• Design and implement algorithms for spatial beam shaping using phase plates and adaptive optics.
• Align, calibrate, and operate adaptive optics hardware on a high-energy laser system, including deformable mirrors, wavefront sensors, and supporting diagnostics.
• Build auto-alignment methods and routines to make beamline setup repeatable and fast.
• Characterize the optical environment — aberration sources, thermal drift, vibration and jitter, beam path turbulence — and translate what you find into adaptive optics requirements.
• Leverage and improve wave-optics propagation code to model the laser systems, in close collaboration with the Xcimer Theory and Computation team, and anchor those models against measurements so predictions can be trusted.
• Contribute to wavefront error budgets and tolerance analyses spanning system to component level.
• Collaborate closely with vendors to develop and drive the next generation of AO platforms for Xcimer’s needs, with a focus on deformable mirrors and wavefront sensors.
• Work with control system engineers to integrate AO within the larger laser control system, helping define required controls, interlocks, and operator feedback/UI.
• Write and maintain the test plans, alignment procedures, and calibration records that let others reproduce your results.
• Maintain contamination-control discipline appropriate to deep-UV, high-fluence optics.

Qualifications

• Education: B.S. in optical science/engineering, physics, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of optical science/engineering experience, including 3+ years directly related to adaptive optics systems.
• Experience developing adaptive optics systems using wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors, including established optimization and reconstruction methods.
• Experience with high-fidelity physical wave-optics propagation in the near and far field.
• Experience with hands-on optical subsystem integration and alignment.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary engineering fields including optical, opto-mechanical, software, and controls systems.
• Working proficiency in at least one of MATLAB, Python, or C/C++/C# for modeling, analysis, and hardware control.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Desired

• Desired: M.S. or Ph.D. in optical engineering/science, physics, or a related field.
• Desired: 5+ years of experience directly related to adaptive optics.
• Desired: Depth in several of the following: turbulence characterization in beam paths; wavefront reconstruction and control law design; radiometry and imaging diagnostics; statistical and systems analysis; experimental work with high-energy laser systems.
• Desired: Experience with high-energy optical systems operating in the deep UV, including laser-induced damage considerations and contamination control.
• Desired: Experience designing adaptive optics coupled to beam pointing and jitter stabilization systems.
• Desired: Experience defining and flowing down adaptive optics requirements from system to component level.
• Desired: Familiarity with real-time control implementation — LabVIEW, embedded firmware, FPGA-based control, or low-latency computing architectures.
• Desired: Familiarity with opto-mechanical practice: kinematic and flexure mounting, adhesive bonding, cleanroom assembly, and STOP (structural-thermal-optical performance) analysis.

Salary

$120,000 - $180,000 a yearCandidates may be considered for other positions at Xcimer Energy, and our actual base salary will be determined on an individual basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The range is published in accordance with Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and California Equal Pay Act.

EEO

Equal Employment Opportunity Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force.

Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities.

We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members.

We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law.

Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• basic and supplemental life insurance
• short- and long-term disability
• paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption
• a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%
• eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company’s long-term success
• Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach
• paid sick time
• 13 company-paid holidays
• an annual paid company shutdown

Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.