Hardware Engineering Intern

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 swept-source Raman spectroscopy (SSRS) sensor design. Your primary responsibilities will include testing and evaluating the system’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 controls and performance. 

You’ll work on hands-on tasks such as integrating electrical subsystems and troubleshooting mechanical assemblies. Additionally, you will validate the sensor design by analyzing system performance, 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 design, assembly, and testing of optical sensors in lab and real-world settings.
• Work with the team to calibrate and validate sensor performance using standard testing procedures.
• 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 sensor’s optical, electrical, and mechanical components.
• Develop and improve integrated hardware component control systems.
• Participate in sample analysis and data collection, ensuring accurate and reliable measurements.
• 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.

Qualifications:

• Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in the state of Massachusetts, or recently graduated (past year)
• Living in Massachusetts
• Able to work in-person in laboratory and prototyping environments (may include in-state travel to customer sites), with interdisciplinary teams
• Good academic standing
• Have experience in the following:
  • Hardware control and data processing languages like Python, Julia, and others (C++, etc)
  • 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:

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

Required Materials:

• Resume/CV
• Cover letter (can be in the body of the email submission)
• GitHub portfolio and example of work if available

Please send all materials to charles@dottirlabs.com to submit your application.