Intern - Photonics Design Software & Automation Engineer (PhD Level)

Keysight Technologies; Santa Clara, Pasadena (CA, CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Keysight Technologies is seeking a PhD candidate to advance photonic design and simulation in cutting-edge research projects. The role focuses on photonic devices, PICs, and optical systems, using tools like RSoft, Lumerical, and COMSOL, with emphasis on automation and scalable workflows.

You will collaborate with application engineers and software teams to develop production-quality tools, validate algorithms, and explore AI-assisted design strategies, contributing to end-to-end engineering

Qualifications

• PhD candidate in Photonics, Optics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Strong foundation in electromagnetics, wave optics, photonic devices, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), optical communications, and computational photonics.
• Hands-on experience with photonics design and simulation tools such as RSoft, Lumerical, COMSOL, or similar platforms.
• Advanced programming skills in C++/Rust and Python.
• Experience building research-grade or production-quality software tools.
• Interest in automation, workflow orchestration, and engineering productivity solutions.
• Familiarity with agent-based, workflow-oriented, or multi-step automation frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, model, and analyze photonic devices, subsystems, and integrated photonic systems using RSoft and related photonic simulation tools
• Develop software and automation frameworks for photonic design, electromagnetic simulation, optimization, and design trade studies
• Design and prototype agentic or semi-autonomous workflows that orchestrate multi-step photonic simulation, optimization, and evaluation pipelines
• Integrate RSoft, CODE V, and LightTools through software APIs and custom workflow automation
• Develop cross-product workflows that connect photonics, optical system, and illumination analyses to support end-to-end engineering studies
• Support photonic device characterization, design exploration, and performance optimization across multiple simulation environments
• Develop and validate numerical algorithms for optimization, workflow integration, and engineering decision support
• Explore AI-assisted or rule-based approaches for photonic design iteration, design-space exploration, and workflow coordination
• Document workflows and deliver reusable, production-quality software tools
• Collaborate closely with application engineers, photonics experts, and software development teams

Skills

Electromagnetics

Wave optics

PICs / photonic devices

Optical communications

Computational photonics

C++/Rust and Python

Automation workflows

Workflow orchestration

AI-assisted design

Software development

Education

PhD candidate in Photonics, Optics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics

Tools

RSoft

Lumerical

COMSOL

Job description

Overview

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~16,800 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award-winning culture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions.We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

Responsibilities

• Design, model, and analyze photonic devices, subsystems, and integrated photonic systems using RSoft and related photonic simulation tools
• Develop software and automation frameworks for photonic design, electromagnetic simulation, optimization, and design trade studies
• Design and prototype agentic or semi-autonomous workflows that orchestrate multi-step photonic simulation, optimization, and evaluation pipelines
• Integrate RSoft, CODE V, and LightTools through software APIs and custom workflow automation
• Develop cross-product workflows that connect photonics, optical system, and illumination analyses to support end-to-end engineering studies
• Support photonic device characterization, design exploration, and performance optimization across multiple simulation environments
• Develop and validate numerical algorithms for optimization, workflow integration, and engineering decision support
• Explore AI-assisted or rule-based approaches for photonic design iteration, design-space exploration, and workflow coordination
• Document workflows and deliver reusable, production-quality software tools
• Collaborate closely with application engineers, photonics experts, and software development teams

Qualifications

• PhD candidate in Photonics, Optics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• Strong foundation in electromagnetics, wave optics, photonic devices, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), optical communications, and computational photonics
• Hands‑on experience with photonics design and simulation tools such as RSoft, Lumerical, COMSOL, or similar platforms
• Advanced programming skills in C++/Rust and Python
• Experience building research‑grade or production-quality software tools
• Interest in automation, workflow orchestration, and engineering productivity solutions
• Familiarity with agent-based, workflow-oriented, or multi-step automation frameworks

Preferred / Differentiating Skills

• Experience designing photonic integrated circuits (PICs), optical communication systems, silicon photonics devices, waveguides, couplers, gratings, lasers, modulators, or related photonic technologies
• Experience with large-scale optimization problems involving photonic structures, inverse design, metasurfaces, or electromagnetic devices
• Knowledge of electromagnetic simulation methods including FDTD, BPM, RCWA, FEM, or similar techniques
• API-level integration with commercial photonics simulation tools
• Experience building software workflows that connect multiple engineering applications, including photonics, optical design, and system-level simulation environments
• Experience embedding optimization heuristics, decision logic, or AI-assisted capabilities into engineering workflows
• Familiarity with modern software development practices, including source control, code reviews, automated testing, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and collaborative development workflows
• Demonstrated ability to translate advanced photonics research concepts into usable engineering software solutions

Careers Privacy Statement

Keysight Technologies Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other protected categories under all applicable laws.