R&D Operations & Automation Engineer Intern

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Department: Engineering

Workplace: on_site

Employment Type: temporary

Description

HyperLight is at the forefront of the commercialization of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated photonics — a material and process technology that is enabling high-performance, scalable optical components across AI/datacom infrastructure, hyperscale computing, quantum computing, sensing, and more. Founded in 2018 and backed by leading venture capital, we've built a team and a platform focused on real-world mass deployment of TFLN photonics technology.

At the core of our work is the TFLN Chiplet™ platform — a modular, integrated architecture designed for scalability, manufacturability, and seamless integration into complex systems. It offers a rare combination of extraordinary performance and industrial readiness, enabling system developers across applications to deploy the technology quickly and at scale. We partner with our customers and suppliers from conceptualization, design, and prototyping through mass production to ensure smooth and rapid deployment of TFLN photonic technology.

As HyperLight continues to grow, we are looking for an R&D Operations & Automation Engineer Intern to join our team. This role provides a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of R&D operations, engineering automation, data, and advanced photonic technology.

You will work closely with R&D and cross-functional engineering teams to improve how development activities are planned, executed, tracked, and analyzed. You will help identify opportunities to improve R&D workflows, develop automation solutions and engineering tools, and use data to improve engineering efficiency and accelerate development cycles.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys understanding complex engineering processes, solving open-ended problems, and applying engineering, data analysis, automation, and programming to real-world R&D challenges.

Join us to make a real-world impact in a fast-paced, collaborative, and high-growth environment!

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience in a fast-paced photonics R&D and semiconductor manufacturing environment for advanced technology
• Practical experience improving and automating R&D workflows, from planning and execution through testing and analysis
• Opportunities to apply programming, data analysis, and automation to solve real engineering challenges
• Cross-functional exposure across design, fabrication, characterization, testing, and operations, with mentorship from experienced engineers and direct impact on next-generation photonic technologies

Responsibilities

• Support the planning, tracking, and execution of R&D projects, experiments, and engineering lots
• Analyze R&D workflows to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for process improvement
• Develop automation solutions and engineering tools to streamline R&D workflows and reduce repetitive manual work
• Use programming, data analysis, and dashboards to automate recurring tasks and improve visibility into R&D activities
• Analyze engineering and operational data to identify trends, anomalies, and root causes, supporting data-driven decisions and improvements in cycle time and execution efficiency
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to standardize R&D workflows, develop SOPs, and drive continuous improvement

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s in Physics, Applied Physics, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science or a related technical field
• Experience and strong interest in R&D operations, process improvement, and engineering automation
• Programming experience with Python or similar coding languages for engineering, data analysis, or automation applications
• Strong engineering fundamentals and demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to analyze engineering data and translate findings into practical improvements
• Strong organizational skills and ability to understand and improve complex engineering workflows
• Experience with AI/LLM tools, AI agents, or agentic workflows for engineering automation, data analysis, or workflow optimization is a plus.
• Experience with photonics, semiconductor fabrication, device characterization, or manufacturing environments is a plus
• Experience with laboratory equipment, measurement instruments, test automation, or data acquisition is a plus
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and comfortable solving open-ended problems in a fast-paced R&D environment

Duration & Location

• 12-16 weeks, full-time internship, with internship periods available between October 2026 and May 2027
• This role is in-person at HyperLight's office in Cambridge, MA. Authorization to work in the US is required

Benefits

BENEFITS:

• Competitive market-based compensation ($28 - $34 per hour)
• Commuter benefits

HyperLight is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. HyperLight is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during our hiring process. If you need assistance or an accommodation, please contact us at HR@hyperlightcorp.com.