Optical Engineer, Precision Instrumentation

Company Overview

Astera Neuro is a philanthropically funded research organization within the Astera Institute, working to decipher and ultimately write the neural codes underlying perception, thought, behavior, and internal state. The tools this requires do not yet exist. We are assembling a founding team of experimental neuroscientists, computational scientists, and engineers to build them, from recording and interface hardware to software and computational methods, and to use them to study neural activity at unprecedented scale, with direct promise for treating neurological and psychiatric disease. We pursue high-risk, high-reward science in a collaborative, well-resourced environment and share our tools, data, and discoveries openly under Astera's Open Science Policy.

Position Summary

Astera Neuro is hiring a world-class optical engineer to design and build the physical optical instruments large-scale neuroscience depends on, most of which do not exist commercially. The work ranges from optimizing the scale and speed of existing two-photon imaging and photostimulation systems to developing novel, groundbreaking technologies for fast optical interfacing with brain tissue at cellular resolution. You do not need a neuroscience background; you need to love hard design problems and getting things built fast.

At Astera Neuro, we are deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thought, perception, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. Reading and writing complex neural activity patterns with light, via two-photon imaging and two-photon optogenetics, is one of the principal means by which we will address this grand challenge. You will design and build the optical systems our experiments depend on, working directly with scientists and industry collaborators to develop a design, build it, and iterate until it works for the experiment. Some projects are well specified from the start; others begin as a rough idea that takes shape as you build. The work crosses mechanical design, fabrication, electronics, and optics, often within a single project. We are looking for world-class generalists who have built precision hardware in demanding industry settings and who pick up the science as they go. You will own complex instruments end to end and help drive technical direction.

What You Will Do

• Build precision optical systems for neuroscience experiments, such as large field-of-view, high-speed two-photon imaging and photostimulation microscopes.

• Build an advanced miniature two-photon microscope capable of simultaneous imaging and photostimulation in freely moving animals.

• Build the electronics, control hardware, and software that interface the optical systems with data acquisition and the rest of the research stack.

Who You Are

Required:

• A world-class generalist and hands-on problem-solver who has built precision hardware in a high-precision industry, ideally medical devices, robotics, aerospace, semiconductor capital equipment, or commercial or academic scientific instrumentation. You have designed and built hardware that other people relied on for real work, and you kept it running.

• Resourcefulness about getting things built quickly: you will machine one part, 3D-print the next, and send a job out for what is better outsourced.

• Comfort working from a rough idea rather than a finished spec, figuring out the path to a working instrument together with the people who need it.

• Deep fundamentals in optical design and fabrication.

• Intellectual curiosity, a collaborative spirit, and eagerness to learn the science around you.

• A track record of owning complex instruments end to end, from concept through fabrication, integration, and reliable operation.

• Experience making and defending design tradeoffs across performance, manufacturability, cost, and timeline.

Preferred/Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with femtosecond lasers, nonlinear microscopy, and wavefront engineering.

• Experience with optical alignment, small precise parts, and tight tolerances.

• Hands-on electronics design (PCB layout, embedded systems, sensor/actuator integration).

• CAD/CAM proficiency and 3D printing.

• Experience integrating hardware with data acquisition systems (DAQ, TTL synchronization, serial/SPI protocols).

• Experience equipping and running an optical workshop, makerspace, or prototyping facility.

Education

• Backgrounds in optical engineering, biomedical engineering, physics, or related fields are all welcome. Graduate work or research experience is a plus but not required.

Compensation

The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, including comprehensive benefits, commensurate with their experience.

Why Join Us

You will build instruments that exist nowhere else and see them used for discovery within weeks, not years. We combine the resources and pace of a well-funded engineering organization with a foundational scientific mission. You will have a fully equipped environment for getting hardware built fast, and we share our tools and designs openly with the field.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion.