Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

We are seeking a Sr. Staff Engineer, Photonic Link Co-Design to join our Laser Systems Architecture & Engineering team. This is one of the most technically demanding roles at Lightmatter: you will own the end-to-end simulation, co-design, and laboratory verification of photonic-electronic links in Passage™ — from photonic device modeling through to full transceiver channel characterization in silicon.

You will build and maintain the high-fidelity simulation infrastructure that links optical device performance to system-level BER and link margin, drive co-design between photonic and analog circuit teams, and close the loop between simulation and lab measurement on every tape-out. This role sits at the center of how Lightmatter ensures Passage links meet performance at every process corner — and is the technical anchor for photonic-electronic integration quality.

The right candidate is equally fluent in photonic simulation environments and at a high-speed electro-optic lab bench, and has the seniority to drive architecture decisions with data.

Responsibilities

Develop, own, and continuously improve electro-optic link simulation models covering photonic device, propagation, and channel BER — from electron to photon to electron.
Build multi-physics models that combine optical propagation (VPI Photonics, Lumerical INTERCONNECT / FDTD, sax), analog circuit behavior (Cadence Virtuoso / Spectre, Verilog-A)) into a coherent link analysis framework.
Execute comprehensive corner analysis, Monte Carlo variation sweeps, and process-voltage-temperature (PVT) studies to bound link margin; generate actionable specification tightening recommendations for device and circuit teams.
Work closely with analog circuit designers to co-optimize transmitter driver and receiver front-end for the photonic device interface; drive joint simulation across the optical-electrical boundary.
Contribute to photonic link budgets end-to-end: optical power, modulation efficiency, receiver sensitivity, noise floor, and SNR/OSNR margins.
Contribute to simulation-to-silicon closure methodology for Passage optical links; author test protocols, define measurement sequences, and iterate link models against measured data across process splits and device corners.
Identify and diagnose root causes of link performance gaps — distinguishing photonic, electrical, and integration origins — and drive corrective design actions.
Author and review photonic link architectural specifications, co-design interface requirements, and design-entry criteria for photonic and circuit teams.
Contribute to Passage product-level link planning: propose photonic and electronic co-design opportunities to improve link margin, power efficiency, or yield.

Requirements:

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Physics, or a closely related photonics/optics discipline and 5+ years of experience; or MS + 8 years of directly relevant industry experience at a photonic IC, transceiver, or optical interconnect company.
Deep expertise in photonic device physics and system-level optical link design: silicon photonic modulators, Ge photodetectors, passive WDM components, optical amplifiers, and coherent or intensity-modulated link topologies.