Senior FPGA Design Engineer

USC’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI), a unit of the university’s Viterbi School of Engineering, is a world leader in the research and development of advanced information processing, computing, communications, and artificial intelligence technologies. ISI’s faculty, professional staff, and graduate students conduct extraordinary information sciences research at locations in Arlington, Virginia;
Marina del Rey, California; and Waltham, Massachusetts.

The Reconfigurable Computing Group at ISI develops computer architectures and design methods that make specialized hardware more adaptable, efficient, and trustworthy. Recent work combines FPGA prototyping, ASIC design, purpose-built electronic design automation tools, and hardware-software co-design to advance rapidly reconfigurable processing for RF sensing and communications, acceleration of fully homomorphic encryption, and hardware security and assurance. The group builds and evaluates working systems, develops the tools needed to program and verify them, and collaborates across disciplines to move research toward operational use.

We are seeking a highly talented and motivated Senior FPGA Design Engineer to research and develop novel tools and techniques for assuring FPGA hardware. Working with research staff and technical collaborators, the engineer will plan and execute specialized FPGA designs to assess device functionality and state; work directly with FPGA hardware and laboratory instrumentation to measure, validate, and analyze device characteristics;

and identify, plan, and implement methods that extend commercial and open-source EDA tools with new assurance capabilities.

This position is based in Arlington, VA. Hybrid work options are available

Job Responsibilities Plan, lead, implement, and verify specialized FPGA systems and RTL components in VHDL or Verilog to support hardware-assurance research.

Use FPGA EDA tools to perform synthesis, implementation, timing analysis, timing closure, and device programming.

Interface directly with FPGA hardware, power supplies, and other test instrumentation to collect measurements, validate behavior, and analyze device functionality and characteristics.

Develop Python, TCL, and related scripts to automate design flows, testing, data collection, and analysis.

Identify, plan, and implement extensions to commercial and open-source EDA tools, and evaluate new FPGA-assurance capabilities.

Translate research concepts and project goals into technical plans, implemented prototypes, and independently developed system components, working under minimal supervision.

Document designs, methods, test results, and technical progress; contribute to sponsor reports, publications, presentations, and meetings with collaborators.

Review technical implementations, establish engineering best practices, provide technical mentorship, and guide junior researchers and engineers as needed.

Stay current with FPGA architectures, EDA methods, hardware-assurance research, and emerging AI-assisted design approaches relevant to project goals.

Minimum Qualifications Master’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a closely related field.

Eight or more years of overall relevant research engineering experience, including at least five years of directly relevant FPGA design experience.

Demonstrated experience planning and executing FPGA designs and developing RTL in VHDL or Verilog.

Proficiency with scripting languages such as Python or TCL.Proficiency with FPGA EDA tools such as AMD Xilinx Vivado or Intel Altera Quartus, including synthesis, implementation, and timing closure.

Experience interfacing directly with FPGA hardware, power supplies, and other test instrumentation.

Willingness and…