Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) · 11 hours ago
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems - Card Lab
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a biomedical research organization and philanthropy dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge. They are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to develop and support custom hardware systems for behavioral and neurophysiological experiments in fruit flies, collaborating closely with neuroscientists and biologists.
BiotechnologyMedical DeviceHealthcareClinical TrialsHealth CareMedical
Responsibilities
Provide engineering support for the design, development, and maintenance of fly behavioral assay systems
Design and fabrication of fly widgets for use in behavioral assays and physiological experiments
Work with microcontrollers to coordinate hardware/software systems
Adapt existing machine vision algorithms to extract fly behaviors in real time and offline
Develop computational tools and analysis pipelines for processing and interpretation of behavioral assay results
Perform complete project cycles, from design to fabrication, with support from a small engineering core in the university’s fabrication and machining facility
Perform mechanical maintenance and database support for fly stock maintenance robot
Qualification
Required
A Bachelor's degree (or higher) in engineering, math or physics is required
Comfort designing and building small mechanical and electronic devices
Experience writing code such as Python, C++, and ideally MATLAB
Experience with MySQL databases, including creating, querying, and troubleshooting databases
Experience in data analysis and visualization
Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and precision in day-to-day work
An interest in neuroscience
Strong problem solving, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
An interest in working closely with biologists on engineering approaches
A willingness to rapidly assimilate new fields of knowledge, including optics, machine vision algorithms, and software/hardware integration, for the purpose of building functional electro-mechanical devices
The ability to clearly communicate engineering principles, design, and coding with biologists and the capacity to work collaboratively with members of the lab to optimize systems and coding as experimental needs require
The ability to multitask and assist in the design and optimization of different systems simultaneously to support multiple ongoing and evolving projects
Preferred
Knowledge with electrical engineering (PCB design, circuit design, soldering)
Familiarity with CAD (Autodesk/SolidWorks)
Experience with Python, C++, MATLAB, and MySQL
Benefits
Exceptional health benefits
Retirement plans
Time off
A range of recognition and wellness programs
Company
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Founded in 1953, HHMI invests in scientists at all career stages who make discoveries that advance human health and our fundamental understanding of biology.
H1B Sponsorship
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
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Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (135)
2024 (133)
2023 (133)
2022 (160)
2021 (133)
2020 (127)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$1MKey Investors
Salt Lake Community College
2017-08-31Grant· $1M
Recent News
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