Probe Engineer

Astera Neuro is a philanthropically funded research organization within the Astera Institute, working to decipher and ultimately write the neural codes underlying perception, thought, behavior, and internal state. The tools this requires do not yet exist. We are assembling a founding team of experimental neuroscientists, computational scientists, and engineers to build them, from recording and interface hardware to software and computational methods, and to use them to study neural activity at unprecedented scale, with direct promise for treating neurological and psychiatric disease. We pursue high-risk, high-reward science in a collaborative, well-resourced environment and share our tools, data, and discoveries openly under Astera's Open Science Policy.

Probe engineers at Astera Neuro design and build the recording hardware that determines how much of the brain we can see and how well: the probes, insertion mechanisms, and robotics. You will work closely with our experimental, surgical, and software teams. These devices are engineered for precision and for minimal impact on the surrounding tissue, and all animal research they support is conducted under IACUC-approved protocols to AAALAC standards.

The role spans three tightly coupled problems: the probe (thin, flexible, high-density electrode arrays), the needle (the micro-machined tool that delivers a probe to its target with minimal disruption to the surrounding tissue), and the robot (the precision system that places many probes quickly, accurately, and repeatably while avoiding vasculature). You will move fluidly across mechanical design, microfabrication, and control, and you will own hardware from initial concept through benchtop validation and into the recording rig.

We are hiring at multiple levels. As an Engineer, you will lead well-defined hardware projects with regular guidance. As a Senior Engineer, you will own hardware lines end to end, drive design decisions, and set fabrication and test strategy. As a Principal Engineer, you will define the probe and robotics roadmap, mentor engineers, and shape how mechanical, fabrication, and control work fit together at Astera. Title and scope are calibrated to your experience.

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  Build flexible, high-density neural probes: thin-film polymer arrays (polyimide, Parylene C, or comparable) patterned with hundreds to thousands of microelectrodes, from layout through fabrication and encapsulation.

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  Build probe-to-chip integration and the readout signal chain: bonding high-density electrode arrays to amplifier and acquisition electronics, and the low-noise front end that amplifies, digitizes, and streams microvolt neural signals out to the acquisition system.

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  Build insertion needles and needle-pincher mechanisms: micro-machined and electrochemically etched tools that grasp, insert, and release flexible probes at micron-scale placement accuracy.

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  Develop insertion strategies that solve the hard mechanics of placing a flexible probe into soft tissue gently and precisely: managing bending stiffness and buckling, temporarily stiffening the probe for insertion, and mitigating the forces that build up across many closely spaced insertions.

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  Build a precision insertion robot: multi-axis motion, servo and linear-motor drives, and the real-time control that makes placement fast, accurate, and repeatable.

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  Build machine-vision guidance for the robot: the imaging and computer vision that locate targets, guide the needle to them, and avoid surface vasculature during insertion.

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  Build electrode characterization and process pipelines: impedance and electrochemistry (e.g., Pt, PEDOT coatings), yield, and reliability testing that turn a working prototype into a manufacturable part.

Required:

• Strong hands-on engineering across mechanical design and prototyping: you move fluently between CAD, the machine shop, and the benchtop.

• Experience building precision electromechanical or robotic systems (multi-axis motion, servo/linear-motor control, tight tolerance stacks).

• Familiarity with microfabrication and thin-film processes (photolithography, deposition, etching, cleanroom work) or a demonstrated ability to pick them up fast.

• Comfort with real-time control and the software that drives hardware (Python plus C/C++ or comparable; embedded, FPGA, or RTOS a plus).

• Working knowledge of the signal-acquisition chain, including how low-level analog signals are amplified, digitized, and acquired, and comfort collaborating with electronics engineers on it.

• Genuine interest in building instruments for neuroscience, and in the tissue-mechanics constraints that make this problem hard.

Preferred/Nice to Have:

• A track record of taking hardware from concept to working, validated device, owning design tradeoffs, fabrication, and test (expected at the senior or principal level).

• Experience making and defending tradeoffs across precision, reliability, manufacturability, and biocompatibility (expected at the senior or principal level).

• Comfort working across the stack, from mechanical design and fabrication to control software and system integration (expected at the senior or principal level).

• A history of mentoring engineers or leading technical initiatives (expected at the principal level).

• Flexible / thin-film electrode microfabrication (polyimide, Parylene C, PDMS) and electrode electrochemistry.

• Micro-machining and electrochemical etching of fine metal tooling (e.g., tungsten, tungsten-rhenium).

• Low-noise analog / mixed-signal front-end design for recording microvolt-scale signals (amplification, filtering, multiplexing, digitization).

• High-density interconnect and packaging: bonding fine-pitch electrode arrays to electronics (e.g., flip-chip, wire bonding, ACF, or comparable).

• Precision motion control, machine vision, or real-time closed-loop robotics.

• Surgical or medical-device hardware, including sterilization, sterile workflow, and design under regulatory constraints.

• Neural interfaces, MEMS sensors, or other implantable devices.

• Contributions to open-source hardware, instrumentation, or scientific-computing projects.

• Backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, biomedical, or materials engineering, mechatronics, robotics, applied physics, MEMS/microfabrication, or related fields are all welcome. Graduate work or research experience is a plus but not required. We value demonstrated skill and relevant experience above credentials.