New College Grad - Algorithm Developer III - PhD (Winter 2026 Start) - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$161,000 - $221,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 15 September 2026 by the employer — open 4 days.
About the role
This role involves developing algorithms at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, theoretical physics, and systems engineering for semiconductor manufacturing applications.
What you'll do
- Design and develop scalable data pipelines to collect, process, and analyze high-volume sensor data from semiconductor manufacturing systems.
- Identify and model underlying physical relationships governing complex process behavior.
- Develop predictive and control algorithms using traditional physics-based methods and machine learning approaches.
- Build robust, maintainable software modules that integrate with manufacturing tools and systems.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of intelligent automation solutions for advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes.
- Develop ML surrogates or reduced order models based on rigorous physics simulations.
What you'll need
- Ph.D. in Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computational Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Working knowledge of machine learning, data science, and statistical modeling techniques.
- Strong software engineering capabilities, including the ability to translate complex algorithms into clean, scalable, and production-ready code.
- Experience with physics-informed neural networks.
- Experience with predictive and control models.
Nice to have
- Demonstrated ability to develop high-quality, maintainable code, evidenced through public GitHub repositories, open-source contributions, peer-reviewed publications, or equivalent technical work.
- Experience with computational methods, computer-aided engineering (CAE), engineering simulation, physical modeling, or the analysis of complex systems.
- Experience applying machine learning techniques to scientific, engineering, or industrial problems.
- Strong interest in sensors, instrumentation, hardware systems, robotics, or other technologies that bridge software with physical-world applications.
Skills: Algorithm Developer, AI/ML, semiconductor manufacturing, physics-informed neural networks, predictive and control models
This role has been open 4 days — well below the 65-day median for AI/ML Hardware Engineering roles.
AI/ML Hardware Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
518
|
Median days open
65 d
|
Median salary
$229k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (518 roles · 76 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 6 | 518 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 137 | 5796 · 143 employers |
| Median days open | 63 d | 65 d (−2 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $229k |
Skills observed across this category: Algorithm Developer, AI/ML, semiconductor manufacturing, physics-informed neural networks, predictive and control models
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 106 open roles · median 97 d
- NVIDIA · 85 open roles · median 65 d
- AMD · 43 open roles · median 60 d
- Micron Technology · 32 open roles · median 37 d
- Mobileye · 25 open roles · median 51 d
- Analog Devices · 14 open roles · median 22 d
How we counted: 518 open AI/ML Hardware Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 76 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 19 Sept 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.