Intern - Optical Design Software & Automation Engineer (PhD Level) - US-CA-Santa Clara-Bldg 4-Keysi, United States
Originally posted 19 October 2026 by the employer.
Automate multi-step optical simulation and optimization pipelines integrating CODE V, LightTools, and RSoft APIs.
About the role
This role involves developing software and automation frameworks to model and analyze optical systems using tools like CODE V and LightTools. You will focus on building multi-step optical simulation and optimization pipelines that integrate optical and photonics tools through software APIs.
What you'll do
- Design, model, and analyze imaging, illumination, and optical systems using CODE V, LightTools, and related optical simulation tools. - Develop software and automation frameworks for optical design, analysis, optimization, tolerance studies, and design trade studies. - Design and prototype agentic or semi-autonomous workflows orchestrating multi-step optical simulation, optimization, and evaluation pipelines. - Integrate CODE V, LightTools, and RSoft through software APIs and custom workflow automation. - Develop cross-product workflows combining ray-optics, illumination, imaging, and photonics analyses for end-to-end engineering studies. - Develop and validate numerical algorithms for optimization, workflow integration, and engineering decision support.
What you'll need
- Currently enrolled as a PhD candidate in Optics, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field. - Strong foundation in geometrical optics, physical optics, imaging systems, illumination optics, and computational optics. - Hands-on experience with optical design and analysis tools such as CODE V, LightTools, Zemax OpticStudio, LucidShape, or similar platforms. - Advanced programming skills in C++/Rust and Python. - Experience building research-grade or production-quality software tools. - Experience embedding optimization heuristics, decision logic, or AI-assisted capabilities into engineering workflows.
Nice to have
- Experience designing imaging, illumination, camera, AR/VR, automotive, display, or related optical systems. - Experience with freeform optics, tolerance analysis, stray-light analysis, or large-scale optical optimization. - API-level integration with commercial optical simulation tools. - Knowledge of photonics or electromagnetic simulation tools such as RSoft. - Familiarity with modern software development practices, including source control, code reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD.
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 51-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
966
|
Median days open
51 d
|
Median salary
$156k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Keysight Technologies | All employers we track in this specialty (966 roles · 102 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 27 | 966 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 157 | 6166 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 48 d | 51 d (−3 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $156k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 73 open roles · median 37 d
- KLA Corporation · 65 open roles · median 45 d
- Teradyne · 57 open roles · median 31 d
- NVIDIA · 51 open roles · median 69 d
- Applied Materials · 50 open roles · median 67 d
- AMD · 47 open roles · median 51 d
How we counted: 966 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 102 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 19 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.