Lead Photonics Design Engineer, III-V Components at Salience Labs, Oxford
Job Description
This photonics design engineer job in Oxford leads III-V active components at Salience Labs. You will take lasers and optical amplifiers from design to qualification, for use with silicon photonics. The company builds optical circuit switches for AI data centres.
At a glance
- Role: Lead Photonics Design Engineer, III-V Components
- Team: Engineering, multi-disciplinary research team in the UK
- Where: Oxford, UK (a Bay Area location is also listed); hybrid, full time
- Pay: Not stated in the posting
- Posted: 7 October 2026
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 27 November 2026)
Why this role matters
AI data centres need faster, cheaper ways to move data, and light is a strong option. This role owns the chips that make the light. It is a lead job in a young company moving toward deployment.
What the III-V photonics lead does
- Lead design and modelling of III-V active devices: epitaxial layers, gain and power, optical mode, electrical and thermal design
- Own the roadmap and device specs, turning system needs into design targets
- Lead mask design and tape-outs, with GDS layouts, test structures and design-of-experiment splits
- Manage runs with outside epitaxy and foundry partners, and fix yield problems
- Lead characterisation at wafer, chip and integrated-PIC level, and drive design changes from the data
- Work with packaging and reliability engineers on burn-in, ageing and qualification, and mentor engineers
What Salience Labs is looking for
- A PhD in physics, photonics, electrical or optical engineering or a related subject with 6+ years of relevant experience, or a master’s with 8+ years. This must include at least 4 years of hands-on III-V optical amplifier or semiconductor laser development
- A record of taking III-V devices from concept through design, fabrication and test
- Deep knowledge of laser and amplifier physics: gain, carrier dynamics, quantum-well design, noise and thermal effects
- Hands-on III-V epitaxy and fabrication knowledge (MOCVD/MBE, lithography, etching, coating) and foundry experience
- Amplifier or laser characterisation, and tools such as Lumerical, Photon Design, COMSOL, KLayout or Virtuoso
- Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers
Nice to have
- Integrating III-V devices with silicon photonics, including coupler design
- Line management, reliability testing and failure analysis
- PDK building blocks or compact models; Python, MATLAB or C++
- Photonic packaging, and patents and papers
Pay and location
The posting does not state pay. The role is full time and hybrid. Oxford is the main location, and the posting also lists the San Francisco Bay Area. It does not discuss visas, so check UK work rights before you apply.
How to apply
Apply through the official Salience Labs job posting. Salience Labs’ posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 27 November 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.
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More optics and photonics jobs are listed on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Salience Labs
Official advertisement: jobs.ashbyhq.com
How to prepare for this application
- Revise SOA and laser physics: gain saturation, linewidth enhancement, noise figure and polarisation dependence.
- Prepare a device story: one III-V device you took from epi design to test, with the numbers.
- Know hybrid integration: flip-chip, micro-transfer printing and III-V-to-silicon coupler design.
- Think about switching: why optical circuit switches need on-chip gain, and what loss budget they face.
- Show leadership: how you ran a foundry relationship or solved a yield issue with a partner.
About Salience Labs
Salience Labs is a photonics company spun out of the University of Oxford. It develops optical circuit switching technology for AI data centre networks. Its research team is in the UK.
