Research Associate - Integrated Photonics for Space Astronomy

Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous Peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

OrganizationalUnit: Quantum and Nanotechnologies

Classification: RO

Duration: 2 years

Work arrangements: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position will require full-time physical presence at the NRC work location identified.

At the NRC, we recognize that Indigenous candidates may have important connections to their communities and you may be eligible for an exception to this work arrangement. Alternative work arrangements may also be considered to accommodate candidates as required. To learn more about these options, please contact the NRC Hiring team using the contact information below.

Discover the possible

The role

Are you a photonics researcher who wants to build the photonic foundation of next-generation space telescopes? You will lead the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) sub-system of TESERACT (Twin Earth SEnsoR Astrophotonic CubeSat), a 6U mission demonstrating chip-scale spectroscopy in space and de-risking astrophotonic technologies for future flagship observatories, including the Habitable Worlds Telescope. Targeting a SpaceX rideshare in the early 2030s, TESERACT will observe targets such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, the Moon, Saturn and Titan.




The long-term objective is a multi-object spectral characterization instrument for biosignature detection on Earth-like exoplanets, with applications in Earth observation. The work shifts from bulk optics to chip-scale photonic processing, improving size, weight, power, cost, stability, and scalability while maintaining high resolution.
Key technical areas: active spectral filtering; high-efficiency spectral tuning; spatial/spectral demultiplexing via microlens integration; low-power tunable circuit design; and low-loss silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) components for visible and near-infrared. The role uses NRC's internal foundry and Applied Nanotools, with potential extension to external foundries (LioniX, AMF, IMEC, AIM). You will collaborate with NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, and Queen's University Belfast, with travel to Victoria, BC and the UK.
Duties:

- Design, simulate (FDTD: Lumerical, Tidy3D, OptiFDTD), and lay out PICs (gdspy, Nazca, gdsfactory, Luceda, KLayout) for tape‑out.
- Develop PIC architectures and components for multiplexed spectral processing in silicon nitride devices in the visible/near‑infrared.
- Develop and support internal fabrication of low‑loss silicon nitride devices for visible/near‑infrared.
- Characterize PICs optically and support packaging and fiber‑optic coupling.




- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external partners; publish, present, and contribute to patents, reports, and proposals.

Screening criteria

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, or a closely related field.

As part of the RA Program you must have received your PhD Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, or a closely related field within the last five years or you expect to receive the degree within the next six months.

- Demonstrated significant experience in photonic integrated circuit design and simulation.
- Significant experience with electromagnetic simulation tools (FDTD, EME, etc.).
- Significant experience with photonic device layout and mask design.
- Experience in optical characterization and laboratory work.
- Experience working independently and developing new concepts.

Condition of employment

Reliability Status

For a Reliability Status, verification of background information over a period of 5 years is required.

Must be able to travel across Canada and/or internationally to represent NRC.

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

- Strong ability to design and optimize integrated optic devices, model their optical, optoelectronic, thermal‑optical properties using commercial and in‑house design.
- Robust ability to use simulation software tools including finite difference time domai

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