Laser Communications R&D Engineer — Optical Systems

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

MIT-funded pension

401K

Tuition reimbursement

Mentorship programs

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, MA seeks an Optical Comm Researcher-Technical Staff to join the Advanced Lasercom Systems and Operations Group. The role blends hands-on hardware work with system analysis, modeling, and testbed development for free-space laser communications.

You will contribute to prototype design, alignment, data analysis, and documentation, collaborating with experts while primarily on-site with some remote tasks.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in physics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, optical engineering or related field with significant optics/lasers coursework or experience.
• At least 5 years of related experience post undergraduate degree (can include graduate school).
• Familiarity with optics/photonics/laser or related lab environments and standard lab equipment such as real-time scopes and spectrum analyzers.
• Experience with data analysis and clear visualization of laboratory results; MATLAB or Python experience.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to system conceptual design, analysis, and modeling of laser communication systems.
• Perform optical alignment, testing, and verification of components and subsystems.
• Analyze data, document results, and present findings to the team.
• Collaborate with experts across opto-mechanics, optics, and electronics to improve processes.

Skills

MATLAB

Python

Data analysis

Strong communication

Teamwork

Education

Advanced degree in optics/related field

Ph.D. in physics/engineering

Tools

Interferometers

Autocollimators

Laboratory instruments

Job description

MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, MA seeks an Optical Comm Researcher-Technical Staff to join the Advanced Lasercom Systems and Operations Group. The role blends hands-on hardware work with system analysis, modeling, and testbed development for free-space laser communications.

You will contribute to prototype design, alignment, data analysis, and documentation, collaborating with experts while primarily on-site with some remote tasks.