What are the responsibilities and job description for the Scientific Computing Engineer position at xLight Inc.?
About the Company
xLight is on a mission to build the next-generation light source to power the future of semiconductor manufacturing. Our approach harnesses the power of free-electron lasers, utilizing accelerator-based methods in use globally at scientific user facilities. Extending this technology, we are developing an industrial-grade light source, engineered for continuous operation, to meet the sophisticated demands of next-gen patterning, metrology, and inspection applications.
About the Role
xLight is seeking a skilled Software Engineer to join our team in developing cutting-edge machine learning systems for particle accelerator control and modeling. Working closely with our team of physicists and ML researchers, you will play a crucial role in advancing autonomous accelerator operation through the development of AI/ML algorithms and software frameworks. This position offers the opportunity to work on a collaborative project, focusing on automated startup, control systems, and digital twin technologies for next-generation industrial accelerators. The ideal candidate will excel in the fast-paced nature of a start-up environment and demonstrate a proactive approach in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team. You will be instrumental in translating research concepts into robust, production-ready software solutions that enable continuous, autonomous operation of complex accelerator systems.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement software infrastructure for chaining together automated accelerator startup and control tasks, enabling sequential optimization workflows.
- Build robust software tools from existing machine learning algorithms for automated emittance measurement and optimization, ensuring industrial deployment readiness.
- Develop software frameworks for online system modeling and digital twin applications, integrating continual model adaptation algorithms that track accelerator behavior changes.
- Transform research ML system modeling approaches into scalable software that incorporates physics constraints and adapts to new operating conditions.
- Collaborate with physicists to transform research prototypes into production-ready scientific computing software, ensuring code quality and maintainability.
- Assist in preparing publications on new ML results, contributing code documentation, reproducibility, and software implementation details.
- Contribute to open-source software ecosystems and tools that can be deployed across scientific user facilities and industrial accelerator environments.
Qualifications
- BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
- 5 years of experience in software engineering with a focus on scientific computing, machine learning applications, or physics-based systems.
- Proficient in Python programming with emphasis on clean code practices, comprehensive documentation, and unit testing.
- Familiarity with the following Python libraries is desired: numpy, pytorch, pydantic.
- Experience with version control systems (Git) and collaborative development workflows including pull requests and code reviews.
- Familiarity with high-performance computing environments and cluster computing systems (i.e. SLURM or equivalent).
- Experience with software testing, continuous integration, and deployment practices.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills for effective partnership with research teams, external collaborators, and interdisciplinary groups.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced startup environment while maintaining attention to detail and code quality.
Preferred Skills
- Experience with physics simulations and computational modeling for accelerator systems.
- Familiarity with national laboratory environments and collaborative research processes.
- Previous experience working with particle accelerators and accelerator physics control systems.
Equal Opportunity Statement
xLight Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation. We are an inclusive organization and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. We welcome all applications from a wide range of candidates. Selection for roles will be based on individual merit alone.