Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer

Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer

Requirements

• Extensive experience in the Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• Strong background in opto-mechanical design for extreme environments, ideally in fusion energy, high-power lasers, plasma physics, aerospace, or similar high-energy physics fields.
• Expert-level proficiency in CAD software (Creo preferred) for opto-mechanical component and system design.
• Hands-on experience with optical metrology and alignment techniques, including interferometry, wavefront sensing, and high-precision positioning systems.
• Experience designing radiation-resistant and thermally stable optical systems.
• Knowledge of fiber-optic systems, laser diagnostics, and high-speed imaging sensors.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with physicists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and experimentalists in a dynamic research setting.

Responsibilities

• Design, model, and analyze opto-mechanical systems for high-energy plasma diagnostics, including optical sensors, imaging systems, and laser-based measurement tools.
• Develop robust and radiation-resistant optical systems capable of operating in high-temperature, high-magnetic-field, and high-vibration environments.
• Collaborate closely with physicists, engineers, and experimentalists to define optical system requirements for plasma diagnostics and high-speed imaging.
• Perform opto-mechanical simulations (thermal, structural, and optical) to optimize system performance under extreme conditions.
• Design precision optical mounts, beam delivery systems, and shielding to ensure optical integrity in a fusion reactor environment.
• Specify, prototype, and validate optical components, including lenses, mirrors, fiber-optics, and detectors, ensuring they meet stringent performance requirements.
• Utilize CAD and optical design software to create models, tolerances, and technical documentation for optical systems.
• Integrate optical diagnostics into the overall fusion reactor experimental setup, ensuring alignment with other diagnostic and engineering systems.
• Support design-for-manufacturing (DFM) efforts, including material selection for high-temperature, high-radiation conditions.
• Work with external vendors, suppliers, and internal teams to source and fabricate custom optical components.
• Develop and execute calibration and validation procedures for optical diagnostics, ensuring measurement accuracy and repeatability.
• Maintain and improve optical diagnostic systems for long-term fusion experiments, troubleshooting performance issues as they arise.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with vibration isolation, thermal analysis, and structural FEA simulations for opto-mechanical systems is a plus.
• Familiarity with vacuum systems, cryogenics, and high-power laser optics is a plus.