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Posted 11 hours ago
Principal Hardware Engineer
Astera NeuroPrincipal Hardware Engineer, Precision Instrumentation
Requirements
Precision hardware design experience, Mechanical design and fabrication fundamentals, Prototyping (CNC, 3D printing), End-to-end instrument ownership, Mentorship and leadership experience
Skills
Mechanical DesignRoboticsCAD
About the role
About the Company
Astera Neuro is a neuroscience research company deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thoughts, perceptions, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. We develop cutting-edge hardware, recording systems, and software, with the goal of enabling the next generation of discoveries about neural circuits, cognition, and behavior.
Responsibilities
- Design and build precision mechanical systems, such as titanium microfixtures and micrometer-precision electrode drives
- Develop components for custom microscopes and optical systems, including alignment and mounting hardware
- Create custom laboratory instrumentation and surgical or experimental robotics
- Design electronics and control hardware to interface mechanical systems with data acquisition
- Equip and run the design and prototyping facility, including tooling and workflows
- Drive technical direction, mentor engineers, and set engineering culture and standards
Requirements
- Proven track record of building precision hardware in high-precision industries (medical devices, robotics, aerospace, or semiconductor)
- Deep fundamentals in mechanical design and fabrication
- Ability to work from rough ideas and iterate through prototyping (machining, 3D printing, outsourcing)
- Experience owning complex instruments end-to-end from concept to reliable operation
- Experience equipping and running a workshop, makerspace, or prototyping facility
- Experience mentoring engineers or setting engineering standards
- Background in mechanical, electrical, or biomedical engineering, physics, or related fields
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with small precise parts, tight tolerances, and precision motion
- Hands-on electronics design including PCB layout and embedded systems
- CAD/CAM proficiency with hands-on machining (CNC, lathe, mill)
- Experience integrating hardware with data acquisition systems (DAQ, TTL, SPI)
- Familiarity with electrophysiology or low-volume, high-complexity hardware environments
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Astera Neuro · Emeryville
