Silicon Photonics Senior Scientist - R&D

Overview

Collaborative. Respectful. A place to dream and do. These are just a few words that describe what life is like  one of the world’s most admired brands, Toyota is growing and leading the future of mobility through innovative, high-quality solutions designed to enhance lives and delight those we serve. We’re looking for talented team members who want to Dream. Do. Grow.

with us.

Toyota’s Electronics Research Department (ERD) is looking for a passionate and highly motivated Silicon Photonics Senior Scientist.

The primary responsibility of this role is to research integrated silicon photonics to be applied to sensing, communication, and quantum photonic devices as well as free-space photonics device research.

The person in this role will report to the Senior Engineering Manager of ERD and have a passion for approaching new problems with novel solutions in integrated photonics and application of Meta surfaces for sensing (such as magnetometry, temperature field, or device prognostics), communications (such as optical transceivers, comb generation, entangled pair generation, single photon emission, or squeezed light analysis), and consideration of integration of non‑linear effects or active devices.

• Finalize the development and commissioning of an automated opto‑mechatronic test‑bench measurement system for integrated photonics. Lead the optical testing and characterization of incoming foundry tape‑outs.
• Support simulation, validation, and packaging plans for integrated photonics to meet research‑level timelines targeting state‑of‑the‑art performance parameters.
• Apply integrated photonic design methods and optimization techniques to exploit photonic and quantum‑photonic phenomena in chip‑scale packages to target mobility applications.
• Support collaboration with foundry vendors to understand technology stack potential, meet design submission tape‑out timelines and coordinate design rule checks.
• Coordinate with other ERD researchers and vendors to ensure successful co‑integration of electronic control of photonic circuits, including high speed signals and chip to chip packaging.
• Accelerate the design, simulation, and experimental validation of free‑space optical components (i.e. Lenses, Meta surfaces, etc.) including their integration and co‑optimization with camera sensor systems for research level proof of concept.
• Coordinate with lab operations staff to track critical items such as measurement samples, fiber and fiber array unit stock, and consumables.
• Publish your results in competitive scientific journals and conferences.
• Stay abreast of the most recent advancements in scientific literature related to integrated photonics and their applications and advancements at related foundries.
• Communicate research results, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner, both verbally and through visualizations.
• Execute and monitor project timelines toward goal achievement. Provide updates and engage responsively with stakeholders, including reports to Japanese counterparts.
• Support communication with university research partners by enhancing technical understanding of collaborative work and input technical guidance.

This position is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

• Doctoral degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Physics, or other related technical disciplines.
• Must have a minimum of 4+ years of hands‑on experience designing and troubleshooting photonic lab benches, specifically involving optomechanical alignment, fiber array units (FAUs), and mechatronic automation (e.g., using Python APIs).
• Expertise in simulation and design of integrated photonic components using commercially available FDTD solvers (ex. Lumerical, Tidy3d, etc.).
• Ability to leverage electronic design automation (EDA) (ex. Python, Photon Forge, Lumerical, kiCAD etc.) to execute automated performance analysis on photonic integrated circuits and transfer design to artwork appropriate for design submission.
• Understanding of subsystem integration (e.g. Tx, Rx, Processor, Memory) into photonic systems and system analysis.
• Un…