Postdoctoral Fellow – Materials Engineering & Advanced Microfabrication - Next-Gen Sequencing and Diagnostics Systems, Research & Early Development
$100,000–$106,000 year
On-siteSanta Clara, California, United States
Job Summary
Design, fabricate, and assemble custom devices, fixtures, and breadboards using rapid prototyping tools. Develop and implement advanced microfabrication processes including photolithography, deposition, etching, drilling, bonding, and dicing, while utilizing precision metrology to characterize components. Create and characterize new materials and bonding methodologies, then test, characterize, and troubleshoot complex fluidic systems and devices. Optimize workflows on these systems by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to drive technical progress. Generate comprehensive test plans, protocols, technical reports, and invention disclosures to document findings. Select, procure, install, validate, operate, repair, and maintain lab and fab equipment and custom instrumentation. Collaborate with a small, agile team to solve challenging problems and advance next-generation DNA sequencing systems.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Biophysics, Nanotechnology, Micro-Systems Engineering, or a closely related discipline
- thesis focused on solving a chemical or molecular biology problem with clever materials engineering and advanced microfabrication techniques
- solid understanding of physics, engineering and chemistry fundamentals
- demonstrated experience with advanced microfabrication techniques (lithography, thin-film deposition, wet and dry etching of metals and inorganic materials, and thermal fusion bonding processes)
- demonstrated success porting complex chemical or biochemical assays or workflows onto novel fluidic systems and optimizing performance using a systematic approach
- demonstrated experience with Python scripting for instrument hardware control
- demonstrated passion for science and technology
- natural curiosity regarding technical, business, and market trends
- experience setting priorities, working with a sense of urgency and being proactive
- solid understanding of molecular biology and sequencing fundamentals
Desired Qualifications
- solid publication record, including at least one first-authored and peer-reviewed publication in a top-tier journal
- experience designing and testing microfluidic systems with active components and integrated sensors
- experience building, operating, and troubleshooting fixtures or breadboards with fluidic, pneumatic, thermal, and optical subsystems
- demonstrated level of proficiency in operating and interpreting data from analytical instruments (e.g., qPCR, dPCR, Bioanalyzer/TapeStation, Qubit, NanoDrop)
- experience work with complex problems
- the demonstrated ability to see the bigger picture
- a desire to challenge the status quo
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