Hardware Engineering Intern at Cephla

Hardware Engineering Intern (full-time) – Mountain View, CA
· In-person

Cephla is building the critical imaging infrastructure for modern biology and drug discovery. Our open and programmable automated microscopes and integrated solutions around them (the “Squid” offerings) take down barriers to high‑end imaging and are already powering research and large‑scale data production at leading academic labs, biotech startups, and pharma. In parallel, our Octopi brings AI‑enabled microscopy to diagnostics, starting with malaria.

We’re a small team of scientists and engineers, mission‑driven and deeply invested in our users’ success as the experiments running on our instruments are often critical to research that will advance science and can impact human health. You will work with the founders and engineers, and may directly collaborate with our users.

We see this internship as a path to full‑time roles. Strong candidates will have the opportunity to join Cephla full‑time after the internship.

You will get to own projects from concept to production, with aspects including

• Mechanical design – designing components and assemblies for new modules/instruments and improvements to existing ones (CAD, GD&T, mechanical and opto‑mechanical assemblies)
• Design to manufacturing – taking designs from concept through production: drawings, BOMs, vendor coordination, DFM iteration
• Prototyping and assembly – building first prototypes with your own hands
• Testing and characterization
• System integration
• Documentation

Other areas you will have the opportunity to work on that could be a major part of the internship include

• Automation and robotics
• Exploratory work on new imaging modalities and early‑stage technology development
• Applied research alongside scientists pushing our platforms into new applications

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• Proficiency in a modern CAD package (Solid Works, Autodesk Inventor, etc.)
• Demonstrated hands‑on building experience – personal projects, project teams, prior internships, lab work, anything where you've actually made things
• Strong understanding of engineering first principles

• Prior mechanical engineering industry experience, including owning products from concept to production
• Experience with opto‑mechanical design/precision design and manufacturing
• Comfortable with rapid prototyping – 3D printing, machining, basic electronics, soldering

• Resourceful, flexible and adaptable; no task is too big or too small
• You find large challenges exciting and enjoy discovering and defining problems as much as solving them
• You deliver. You may enjoy thoughtful conversations about tradeoffs and perfecting designs, but in the end, you know that what matters is shipping a solution that works every time – and that often comes down to the details
• You are a cross‑disciplinary team member. You're excited to learn across disciplines – optics, mechanics, electronics, biology – and to go deep where a problem demands it

• You're passionate about science and tool‑building, and you want your work to enable discoveries and/or help solve important problems
• You have high agency. You take ownership and figure things out without being told what to do next
• You want a high‑leverage opportunity to do real engineering, learn and grow