Research Engineer, Institute for Space and Defense Electronics

Vanderbilt University; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) seeks a technical contributor to advance electronic device and circuit characterization for extreme environments. You will plan electrical characterization, radiation testing, and hardware design to support research contracts.

The role involves modeling radiation effects, developing test plans, mentoring students, and contributing to reports and publications. Collaboration across facilities is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM required.
• Experience with digital and analog electronics testing is necessary.
• Experience with radiation-effects testing is preferred.
• Experience with test-plan development is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct electrical and radiation testing in support of research and external customer needs.
• Prepare samples for testing (bonding, packaging, etc.).
• Design PCB and test hardware for experiments.
• Mentor students and support training needs.
• Develop models describing radiation effects in electronics.
• Develop test plans for radiation and electrical tests.
• Coordinate radiation-effects testing at Vanderbilt facilities and external sites.
• Write and publish papers describing results and present at meetings.
• Prepare sponsor reports and contribute to proposals.

Skills

Electronic testing

Data analysis

PCB design

EDA tools

Radiation effects

Test automation

Semiconductor physics

Experiment planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree or PhD preferred

Tools

PCB layout tools

EDA software

Radiation testing equipment

Job description

This position is a key technical contributor responsible for electronic device and circuit characterization, experimental measurements, and hardware design to advance the reliability of advanced and emerging electronic and photonic technologies operating in extreme temperature and radiation environments. The role includes planning and executing electrical characterization and radiation testing, analyzing device and circuit performance and degradation, and developing electronic circuits and test hardware to support experimental activities. An ideal candidate has experience in electronic device and circuit characterization, test and measurement instrumentation, semiconductor device physics, and experimental data analysis. Experience with radiation effects, extreme-environment testing, automated measurement systems, circuit and PCB design, and electronic design automation (EDA) tools is highly desirable. Reporting directly to the Director of ISDE, the individual will support multiple technical activities and contribute to a broad portfolio of research contracts. The individual is also expected to contribute to technical proposals, reports, and publications associated with this work and to support ISDE’s radiation test CORE activities.

About the Work Unit:

The Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) is a research organization dedicated to advancing electronic technologies for space, defense, and other mission-critical applications. ISDE brings together expertise in semiconductors, microelectronics, radiation effects, and related fields to address the challenges of operating in demanding environments. Through collaboration with government agencies, industry partners, and academic researchers, ISDE characterizes, models, and analyzes emerging technologies to evaluate their performance, reliability, and suitability for mission-critical applications.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

• Conduct electrical and radiation testing in support of research and external customer needs
• Conduct sample preparation (e.g., bonding, delidding, etching, physical characterization, packaging, de-packaging) as needed in support of testing needs
• Design PCB and test hardware
• Mentor students and support training needs
• Develop and parameterize models describing radiation effects in electronics
• Develop test plans
• Plan and conduct radiation-effects testing at Vanderbilt facilities and off-site test facilities
• Write and publish papers describing technical results
• Prepare reports for research sponsors
• Present work at technical meetings and conferences
• Other tasks as assigned

Supervisory Relationships:

This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of the Institute.

Education and Certifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field is necessary
• A total of five years of experience is necessary:
  • A Master’s degree counts as two years
  • A Ph.D. counts as five years

Experience and Skills:

• Experience with digital and analog electronics testing is necessary
• Experience with radiation-effects testing is preferred
• Experience with test-plan development is preferred
• Experience with radiation-effects data analysis is preferred
• Experience with laser systems, integrated photonics, or optical characterization is preferred
• Experience with printed circuit board layout is preferred
• Experience with sample preparation (bonding, packaging, delidding, etc) is preferred