Photonics Engineer - PhD preferred

Company Description

Photonic Crystal Engineer - Compute Substrate R&D

SpaceVine · Pasadena, CA · Full-time · $155,000–$195,000 equity

SpaceVine was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars can only be achieved by building the fiber and highways of space. How we evolved on Earth fundamentally does not work in space. Solving new problems and harnessing the universe is more interesting than taking old tools and hoping they work in a different environment.

Today SpaceVine is building its first wedge on this vision - photonic crystal compute substrates that are radiation-proof by physics, not by engineering workaround. We want to boldly go where no silicon has gone before. To Pluto and beyond. And we’ll be the fastest way to get there. We don’t need the sun.

Protected IP portfolio with multiple patents pending.

You will own the materials-to-architecture bridge: designing, growing, and optimizing periodic dielectric structures where the crystal geometry itself performs computation. No transistors. No electrons. No clock. Success means demonstrating measurable computational fidelity from fabricated crystal substrates. This role reports directly to the founder. Flat organization. You will own your area and lead it.

•      Think in systems, not checklists

•      Would rather build something wrong fast than plan something perfect slowly

•      Argue ideas hard then buy in completely

•      Get bored maintaining - you want to invent

•      Read papers and patents outside your field for fun

•      Design and simulate photonic crystal geometries (inverse opal, woodpile, slab) optimized for optical inference using FDTD/RCWA tools

•      Develop and refine crystal growth and self-assembly fabrication processes for compute-grade substrates

•      Characterize photonic bandgap properties and map lattice defect tolerance to computational fidelity

•      Translate patent claims into fabrication targets, test protocols, and measurable milestones

•      Evaluate new precursor materials and deposition methods to improve crystal quality and repeatability

•      Challenge assumptions - simplify processes, reduce overhead, and find faster paths to working hardware

•      Document experimental results and maintain rigorous lab notebooks supporting ongoing IP filings

•      PhD in photonics, condensed matter physics, optical engineering, materials science, or related discipline

•      Demonstrated experience growing or characterizing photonic crystals

•      Proficiency with photonic simulation tools (Lumerical, MEEP, COMSOL, or equivalent)

•      Strong understanding of photonic bandgap engineering and how lattice geometry governs optical behavior

•      Experience with colloidal self-assembly or plasma-assisted deposition

•      Familiarity with microgravity materials research

•      Background in optical neural network architectures or photonic computing

•      Hands-on fabrication experience - you’ve built things, not just modeled them

•      Prior startup or small-team R&D experience where you wore multiple hats

•      Ability to work in a lab environment including cleanroom protocols

•      Comfort with early-stage ambiguity - process isn’t handed to you, you build it

•      Must be eligible to work in the United States

•      Equity in a category-defining company

•      Work directly with the founder - no layers, no politics

•      Unlimited Olipop and our founder’s own creation NeuroPop (like Olipop but with creatine)

•      Build something that has never existed before