Hardware Engineering Intern

Hours: 20 hr/wk

About Dottir Labs:

Dottir Labs is an MIT spinout, building revolutionary optical sensors for chemical detection in water environments. We are developing new hardware and software to integrate into aquaculture, agriculture and ocean water for continuous monitoring and modeling.

About the Role:

As a Hardware Engineering Intern, you will play a key role in the development and validation of Dottir Labs' next-generation SSRS sensor design. Your primary responsibilities will include testing and evaluating the sensor’s performance across its electrical, optical, and mechanical components to ensure it meets design specifications. You will support hardware control from system-level programming work, integrating and troubleshooting code to improve performance and data handling. You’ll work on hands-on tasks such as aligning optical systems, integrating electrical subsystems, and troubleshooting mechanical assemblies. Additionally, you will validate the sensor design by analyzing system performance data, refining test protocols, and contributing to the optimization of hardware and software pipelines. This technical work is critical for advancing the performance and scalability of our SSRS platform, enabling accurate, real-time water quality monitoring. Your contributions will help ensure the robustness and reliability of a cutting-edge technology that has applications in sustainable aquaculture, environmental monitoring, and more.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the assembly, alignment, and testing of optical sensors in a lab setting.
• Work with the team to calibrate and validate sensor performance using standard testing procedures.
• Collaborate with engineers to troubleshoot and refine optical setups.
• Conduct optical alignment of the laser and fiber systems to ensure optimal signal transmission.
• Document test procedures and results to support future development.
• Integrate and troubleshoot electrical subsystems, including detectors and control units.
• Perform mechanical assembly, testing, and validation to ensure system stability and robustness.
• Test and evaluate the performance of the SSRS sensor’s optical, electrical, and mechanical components.
• Develop and improve software systems and integrated hardware component control.
• Analyze system performance data to validate the sensor design and identify areas for improvement.
• Participate in sample analysis and data collection, ensuring accurate and reliable measurements.
• Develop and refine test protocols to evaluate design specifications and functionality.
• Collaborate on optimizing algorithmic pipelines and spectral methods for data analysis.
• Document and communicate test results and troubleshooting processes clearly to support development and team collaboration.
• Assist in implementing design improvements based on performance feedback and testing outcomes.
• May include travel for portions of project work

Qualifications:

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in the state of Massachusetts, or recently graduated (past year)
• Be living in or be willing to relocate to Massachusetts
• Be able to work in-person in laboratory and prototyping environments, with experimental equipment and hardware
• Be in good academic standing
• Have experience in the following:
  • Hardware/device engineering
  • Mechanical/electrical/computer engineering
  • Strong proficiency in Python and other scripting languages
  • Data collection and management
  • Systems prototyping and troubleshooting
• Have an excitement for startup ecosystems and dynamic team environments

Nice to Have:

• Experience in optics engineering and laser equipment operation
• Thorough understanding of optics principles and mechanics
• Experience in running real-world experimental lab tests, balancing theory with the nuances of collected sample data

Required Materials:

• Resume/CV
• Cover letter
• Portfolio or example of work if available