Graduate - Electrical or Computer Engineer - Miniature Device Technologies

Do you want to apply your college experiences to solve hard problems with real-world applications?

Are you passionate about working with collaborative and dedicated teams to move ideas to prototypes and solving technical challenges with real impact?

If so, we are looking for someone like you to join the Miniature Device Technologies group at APL!

The Miniature Device Technologies Group develops highly customized tools and techniques required to carry out missions around the globe. We leverage our capabilities in mixed‑signal application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit board (PCB), embedded software, field‑programmable gate array (FPGA), and signal processing design to create ultra‑small, low‑power solutions that exceed comparable commercial alternatives. This capability set provides the end user with a distinct advantage when conducting low‑profile radio frequency (RF) communications, electronic countermeasures, and field‑forward sensing.

The boutique nature of these solutions, which reside between pure research and production, allow us to continually pursue new designs while still seeing our work used operationally.

• Assist in the development of miniature wireless systems through contributions to the design, implementation and test of low power ASICs, embedded software applications, and board‑level integration
• Support evaluation of prototype devices and systems through laboratory testing.
• Develop and execute test plans to verify system performance.
• Identify and resolve challenging issues through active debugging.
• Participate in field evaluation of applications.
• Rapidly modify relevant subsystem according to test results and also in response to evolving technical and operational requirements.
• Document work in formal technical reports and informal memoranda.
• Present work to sponsors and the technical community

• Have earned a Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Math, or a similar major
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work independently, and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively as part of a multi‑organizational team
• Have good organizational skills and an ability to multi‑task
• Have hands‑on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, etc)
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Analog/Digital ASIC (verification, layout, mixed‑signal simulation, backend, design)
  • PCBs (component selection, schematic, layout, board level integration, test)
  • RF systems (antennas, impedance matching, characterization, test)
  • Coding in real‑time embedded systems (C/C++)
  • Digital logic design using hardware description languages (Verilog, VHDL)
  • Digital signal processing
  • Writing scripts for automated tests (Python, Lab View, MATLAB)
  • Creating test benches and written verification tests
• Are willing and able to support travel if necessary
• Are able to ultimately obtain Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

• Have a Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Math, or a similar major
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • ASIC design software from Cadence, Synopsys, Siemens
  • Circuit or electromagnetic design software such as SPICE, ADS, Microwave Office, and HFSS
  • Printed circuit board schematic & layout using tools such as Altium, Eagle, KiCAD, or Mentor
  • Highly integrated low size, weight, and power (SWaP) devices
  • FPGA‑based implementation of signal processing algorithms for resource‑constrained embedded systems
  • Software‑defined radio architectures and commercial transceiver chip interfaces
  • Characterizing RF circuits using lab equipment like spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and/or network analyzers
  • Writing drivers for the following protocols: RS‑232, SPI, CAN, I²C, UART, Ethernet, USB
  • Common IOT communication frameworks LoRa, Bluetooth Classic or Low Energy, 802.11 family
  • Memory safe languages like…