Postdoctoral Scholar — RF/mm-Wave Integrated Circuit Design

UC Irvine; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Irvine's NCIC Laboratory seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to lead circuit and system design on a reconfigurable wideband transceiver for next-generation wireless systems. The work spans a custom CMOS transceiver, a high-throughput RF System-on-Chip FPGA baseband, and OTA demonstrations with industry partners.

The role offers ownership from architecture through measured silicon results, including multiple tape-outs and full hardware bring-up within the appointment period.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science from a major research university.
• Excellent academic record and strong publication history.
• Extensive tape-out experience with demonstrated silicon results.
• Fluency in Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre and EM simulation tools.
• Baseband FPGA programming in Verilog or VHDL with Vivado toolchain is required.
• Hands-on lab measurement skills with VNA, generators, analyzers, and high-speed equipment.
• Clear technical writing and presentation skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design RF/mm-wave blocks including LNAs, PAs, mixers, phase shifters, and synthesizers.
• Implement and program the digital baseband on an AMD FPGA; integrate with front end.
• Lead lab bring-up and characterization of fabricated chips with OTA measurements.
• Coordinate with industry and academic partners on milestones.
• Mentor graduate students and prepare technical reports and publications.

Skills

RF/mm-wave IC design

Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre

Verilog/VHDL

FPGA baseband programming

lab measurements

English publications writing

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre

Xilinx Vivado

Job description

Position Overview

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $71,491-$85,736, based on experience level at time of hire. See salary scale here

Application Window

Open date: October 13, 2026

Next review date: Friday, Oct 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Tuesday, Oct 12, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

Postdoctoral Scholar — RF/mm-Wave Integrated Circuit Design

Nanoscale Communication Integrated Circuits (NCIC) Laboratory

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine

The NCIC Laboratory, directed by Prof. Payam Heydari, is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to lead circuit and system design on a project developing a reconfigurable wideband transceiver for next-generation wireless systems. The work spans a custom silicon transceiver in advanced CMOS, a high-throughput digital baseband implemented on an RF System-on-Chip FPGA, and over-the-air demonstration with industry partners. Multiple tape-outs and full hardware bring-up occur within the appointment period, so the position suits someone who wants ownership of silicon from architecture through measured results rather than a purely simulation-based role.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design RF and mm-wave building blocks (LNAs, power amplifiers, mixers, phase shifters, frequency synthesizers, wideband analog baseband) through layout, verification, and tape-out.
• Implement and program the digital baseband on an AMD FPGA platform; integrate the FPGA subsystem with the custom silicon front end.
• Lead laboratory bring-up and characterization of fabricated chips, including wideband modulated-signal and over-the-air measurements.
• Coordinate with industry and academic partners on system integration and demonstration milestones.
• Mentor graduate students and prepare technical reports and journal and conference publications.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a dissertation in RF and analog integrated circuit design and fabrication.
• Excellent academic record.
• Extensive tape-out experience; candidates should be prepared to substantiate their contribution to several fabricated chips and the measured silicon results.
• Demonstrated RF and mm-wave IC design capability in CMOS or SiGe BiCMOS, with fluency in Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre and electromagnetic simulation tools.
• Baseband FPGA programming capability in Verilog or VHDL with the Xilinx/AMD Vivado toolchain; this is a firm requirement, not a preference.
• Hands-on laboratory measurement skills, including work with vector network analyzers, signal generators and analyzers, and high-speed sampling instrumentation.
• Strong publication record and clear technical writing and presentation in English.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with nanoscale CMOS or comparable advanced nodes; phased-array and beamforming transceivers; high-speed data converter interfaces; RFSoC-based modem development; OFDM or related waveform processing in hardware; familiarity with 3GPP NR or O-RAN specifications.

Appointment and compensation

Initial appointment is for one year, renewable for up to three years subject to performance and continued funding. Salary follows the University of California Postdoctoral Scholar salary scale, commensurate with experience. The position is available immediately and will remain open until filled.

Certain tasks on this program are subject to U.S. export control regulations; eligibility to work on export-controlled research may be required.

A reasonable estimate for this position is $71,491-$85,736 , based on experience level at time of hire.

About UC Irvine

UC Irvine is part of the premier public university system in the world. UCI is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is ranked as a top-10 public university by U.S. News and World Report, and was identified by the New York Times as No. 1 among U.S. universities that do the most for low-income students. UCI is located in Orange County, four miles from the Pacific Ocean and 45 miles south of Los Angeles. Irvine is one of the safest communities in the U.S. and offers a very pleasant year-round climate, numerous recreational and cultural opportunities, and one of the highest-ranked public-school systems in the nation.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

The position requires a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science from a major research university.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Teaching Statement - See our guidance for writing a reflective teaching statement . (Optional)

Reference Requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Job location

Irvine, CA

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affiliation

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.