Research Engineer in Magnetic sensor and sensor interface circuit design for Electromagnetic Surgical Tracking
Contract: Full Time/Fixed Term
Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep-tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the 'Chips for Europe Initiative' (EU Chips Act).
Tyndall is Ireland's leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep-tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.
The Institute's key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall's mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than €50m, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers-in-residence.
With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m2 research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall's existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland.
Tyndall's expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (M€10's) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra-high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.
About the Team:
MCCI is Ireland's national Microelectronic Circuits Research Centre. Hosted by Tyndall, MCCI has a large team of researchers in silicon chip design, at various stages of their careers, from Masters Researcher through to Principal Researcher and all are creating world leading, innovative and high impact Integrated Circuit technologies, which will shape our future lives. Specifically, MCCI's mission is to carry out industry-driven, excellent research in areas such as Analog Precision Circuits, RF and High-Speed Transceivers, Cryogenic CMOS and Integrated Power Systems research. For more information see
About the Project:
SensABLATE is a collaboration project between Endowave Ltd, Quadrant Scientific Ltd, Atlantic Technological University, and Tyndall, and aligns with Ireland's Health & Wellbeing research priorities. It is funded through Ireland's Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The partners will collaborate to develop ablation, shape-sensing and tissue sensing technologies which will enable the removal or destruction of unwanted tissue in the body – such as tumors or areas causing irregular heartbeats – without major surgery. Tyndall will contribute its expertise in integrated circuit implantable sensor design to the project.
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
* Engage with the SensABLATE project partners to identify the sensor signals and the application.
* Design a high performance magnetic sensor and innovative sensor interface circuits to meet the requirements.
* With guidance, implement the solution on an integrated circuit. This involves system level simulation, magnetic simulation, schematic design, layout and validation of manufactured silicon.
* Simulate the performance of the magnetic sensor at different frequency ranges to ensure compatibility with other medical instruments used. Extract models of the wiring harness to aid evaluation of its impact on the system solution
* Estimate the duration of tasks and meet the tapeout and project deadlines.
* Perform lab testing and characterisation to quantify the performance of the designed sensors and circuits.
* Work with the SensABLATE project partners to implement the shape-sensing system.
* Engage in the dissemination of the results of the research, as directed by and with the assistance of senior MCCI research staff.
* Participate in Education and Public Engagement activities.
* Ensure compliance with Tyndall's Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other regulations.
* To carry out any additional duties that may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.
Essential Criteria:
* An MEng + 2 years' experience in a relevant discipline such as electrical/electronic engineering, physics or related relevant discipline;
* Typically, 5 years' experience in designing integrated circuits in the areas of Analogue, Mixed-Signal or RF circuit design;
* Experience with designing and simulating integrated circuits using tools such as Cadence/Siemens-Mentor/Synopsys;
* Prior experience of IC design layout/physical design and system integration;
* Strong communication skills, as evidenced by prior experience such as working with/in industry, scientific paper writing, conference presentation and report writing.
* Experience of EM design with EM simulator like Ansys HFSS
* Lab testing and characterising experience
Desirable Criteria:
* Good mathematical ability and knowledge of statistics.
* Previous use of mathematical modelling tools such as MATLAB or Python.
* Experience in RF design and testing of RF or Magnetic sensors and circuits
* Experience in equipment and lab management.
* Experience in training and supervising students/researchers/engineers
* Scientific publications
What We Offer:
Apart from offering a position in a very successful and positive research environment, with a collaborative ethos full of diverse competencies to boost your career, we offer the following:
* Impactful Work: Opportunities to contribute to ground-breaking research and innovation that shape Ireland's economy and the society at large.
* Continuous Learning: Strong support for formal training, further study and professional development.
* Interdisciplinary Environment: Where academia, industry, and innovation intersect - supported by cutting-edge infrastructure and expert knowledge.
* Blended Working: Flexibility to work remotely and on-site, where the role allows.
* Comprehensive Benefits: Access to UCC pension, long-term illness benefit, life assurance, and more.
* Generous Leave: Competitive annual leave entitlements.
* Equity & Inclusion: Athena Swan Bronze award holder, with ongoing initiatives led by a dedicated People and Culture team to ensure equity for all.
* Core Values: A culture grounded in Ambition, Collaboration, Diversity, Excellence, and Integrity.
* Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovation-driven environment that welcomes entrepreneurial and creative thinkers, including those with start-up experience.
* Supportive Onboarding: Structured induction and mentoring to help new hires integrate and thrive.
* Vibrant Culture: A collaborative, people-first workplace with a strong sense of community.
You will have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team consisting of medical systems architects, integrated circuit designers, magnetics experts as well as;
* Work as a highly valuable research team member in a world-class technology centre that has a very young, dynamic, vibrant and self-driven work environment that focuses on high impact research results which are strongly aligned to Industry partners.
* Great career development and advancement that is highly visible to the semiconductor and MedTech industries through direct contact or IEEE publications.
* Collaborating with Medical Device industry on advanced in-vivo sensors
* Opportunity to attend and publish work at leading conferences such as IEEE Solid-State Circuits conferences and IEEE BioCAS conference.
* Attend training courses and workshops, use the latest industry CAD design tools
* Opportunity to publish in leading IEEE journals.
* Excellent working conditions including 23 Days of annual leave
Terms of Employment:
Contract Category: Full-Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term approximately 2 year contract
Appointment may be made on the Admin V, Grade 5 Salary Scale (new entrants) salary € 51,307 - € 62,926 per annum. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.
Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Daniel O'Hare
Closing date for applications for this position is Friday March 6th.
Application Instructions:
Please make sure to attach an up-to-date CV/Resume AND a brief motivation letter outlining how you meet the 'Essential Criteria' for this role.
A full candidate information pack is available to download by clicking here.
Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.
Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on university approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.
Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.
Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.