Academic Specialist for Integrated Optical Frequency Combs – DTU Electro

If you're looking to establish your career as a specialist, this position at DTU Electro offers a great foundation. 

You'll work at DTU Electro, in the Nanophotonic Devices Group, with access to advanced labs and cleanroom facilities. The role involves developing integrated optical frequency comb systems and collaborating on innovative projects in photonic integrated circuits. Join a team of experts in nonlinear optics, optical communications, and laser physics, and contribute to next-generation frequency comb technologies. As a participant in the project, the Academic Specialist will become part of a team at DTU with expertise in design, simulation, characterization, and application of photonic integrated circuits. The activities within the project will benefit from synergies with other projects in the group as well as with other activities in the department.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your overall focus will be developing integrated optical frequency combs on semiconductor platforms such as silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), and silicon carbon (SiC). Your primary tasks will be:

• Design and optimize nonlinear microring resonators and nanophotonic waveguides to balance propagation loss, dispersion, and nonlinearity using Lumerical Mode Solutions and other simulation tools.
• Build complete theoretical models to simulate nonlinear dynamics of optical frequency combs.
• Build and enhance optical test setups for comb characterization, including nonlinear threshold measurement, soliton formation and coherence evaluation.
• Automate data acquisition, parameter space exploration, and data processing using MATLAB and Python.
• Collaborate with industrial partners to understand packaging requirements and advance experimental prototypes towards industrial applications.
• Data analysis, writing scientific articles, and presenting at conferences and meetings.

As part of the Danish academic program, you will have the opportunity to engage in continuous professional development and potentially conduct external research stays with partner institutions in Europe.

You must have a PhD degree or equivalent in photonics, nonlinear optics, integrated optics, or a related field.

Your required qualifications and skills are:

• Excellent English communication skills both spoken and written.
• Self-motivation in research and innovation.
• Ability to work independently while effectively collaborating with partners.
• Expertise in photonic integrated circuits, nonlinear optics, or laser physics.
• Experience with simulation tools such as Lumerical, COMSOL.
• Hands-on experience with experimental optical characterization.

As an ideal candidate, you should also have one or more competencies below:

• Experience in the design, simulation, and characterization of photonic integrated circuits.
• Strong background of optical frequency combs.
• Familiarity with semiconductor platforms such as SiN, AlGaAs, TFLN.
• Experience with packaging processes and industrial collaborations.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation, and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms 
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.

The period of employment is six months. The position is a full-time position. The start date is 1 April or after mutual agreement. 

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from Senior Researcher Minhao Pu, [email protected] . 

You can read more about DTU Electro at www.electro.dtu.dk/.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU here.  

Appplication procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 3 March 2025 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be considered. To apply, please open the link 'Apply now,' fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter).
• Curriculum vitae.
• Grade transcripts and diplomas (MSc/PhD) including an official description of the grading scale.
• A mandatory research statement discussing your understanding or achievements in integrated optical frequency combs, including an analysis of the opportunities, challenges, and obstacles in the field. You are encouraged to include your research results and explain how they contribute to this research area. Maximum 2 pages.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Electro  employs more than 300 skilled researchers with competencies in electrical and photonics engineering. As a department we strive towards creating sustainable energy and a greener internet, as well as strengthening cyber security and health technology. Working with industry and public organizations is one of our top priorities to find and implement new solutions to our society. We aim to offer education, research, and innovation of the highest standard, and our focus on application-oriented research enables us to work across many engineering disciplines and research areas, such as IT and the medical and health sciences. We have a close collaboration with researchers from all over the world, just as we collaborate with industry and public authorities about the dissemination of solutions based on electrical and photonics engineering as their key enabling technologies.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.