Full-Time
Sensor Development Engineer
WindBorne Systems
51-200 employees
Atmospheric data collection via controllable balloons
Compensation Overview
$100k - $200k/yr
San Carlos, CA, USA
In Person
 Electrical Engineering (1) |
|---|
- Master's or higher degree in a STEM field
- Experience working on research and development initiatives
- Broad base of technical expertise spanning physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science
- Experience interfacing with sensor hardware and characterizing new data sources
- Proficiency in electrical prototyping including component selection, printed circuit board design, soldering, etc.
- Familiarity with mechanical prototyping including computer-aided design, 3D printing, basic machining, etc.
- Proficiency with standard Python scientific toolbox (NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, etc.) and Python scripting
- Strong intuition for the underlying physics of common sensors
- High level of proficiency with Google Workspace applications (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar)
- Experience working within a Digital Headquarters chat platform, e.g., Slack
- A strong bias toward first-principles-driven design – many common requirements and constraints simply do not apply in our system, and many uncommon ones
- Own the design and development of new types of sensors for the balloon platform from initial concept to manufacturing rollout.
- Characterize real-world performance of prototype sensors relative to theoretical limits to guide development.
- Develop calibration and validation processes for new sensor hardware to ensure accurate readings in flight.
- Collaborate with the engineering and manufacturing teams to update and improve existing meteorological sensor hardware and calibration process.
- Characterize, investigate, and address sensor errors, which can be introduced anywhere in the process from fundamental design limitations, to calibration, to flight.
- Develop and implement new test equipment for better performance characterization of sensor hardware to guide design iteration.
- PhD in experimental physics or electrical engineering
- Familiarity with analog electronics, signal processing, and radio frequency systems
- Familiarity with the Linux command line, bash, etc.
- Familiarity with C and C++
WindBorne Systems collects and sells atmospheric data using a fleet of specialized, controllable balloons. These balloons navigate through different layers of the atmosphere to capture specific data "slices" repeatedly, providing 10 to 100 times more information per dollar than traditional methods. Unlike static sensors or standard weather balloons, this system can be steered to specific altitudes and locations globally to meet the needs of weather forecasters and climate researchers. The company's goal is to provide a more cost-effective and comprehensive way to monitor the Earth's atmosphere at scale.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$21M
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Founded
2015
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- $15M Series A funding accelerates 10,000-balloon constellation by 2028.
- NOAA, Air Force contracts ensure stable data-as-a-service revenue streams.
- Re/insurers adopt WeatherMesh for precise risk assessment and loss mitigation.
What critics are saying
- Google DeepMind's GraphCast 2.0 surpasses WeatherMesh in 6-12 months.
- NOAA's aerostat drones eliminate WindBorne contracts in 12-18 months.
- FAA airspace rules ground 70% of fleet after collision in 3-6 months.
What makes WindBorne Systems unique
- Controllable balloons collect 150x more data per dollar than traditional methods.
- Atlas constellation delivers real-time profiles from surface to stratosphere globally.
- WeatherMesh AI surpasses GraphCast for most accurate medium-range forecasts.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Your Connections
People at WindBorne Systems who can refer or advise you
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
401(k) Company Match
Stock Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↑ 2%2 year growth
↓ -4%Object that hit United flight's windshield may have been weather balloon, company says. (NEW YORK) - A United Airlines flight diverted to Salt Lake City last week after an object struck the plane's windshield at 36,000 feet, causing it to crack and injuring the pilot, according to the airline and officials. Amid the mystery of what could have hit the plane's windshield, on Monday night, WindBorne Systems, a long-duration smart weather balloon company, released a statement saying the object that hit and cracked United flight's windshield may have been a weather balloon from the company. The company said it is working with FAA and the NTSB on the investigation. "We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration," WindBorne said in a statement. The windshield is being transported to the National Transportation Safety Board's laboratory as the investigation continues. Data from flight tracking website Flight Radar24 shows the plane was 36,000 feet in the air when an object hit the windshield. The flight then descended to a lower altitude, following standard protocol, before making an emergency landing at Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport. "This is an extraordinary situation in terms of the glass being able to create any damage at all to the people in the cockpit, and what it might have hit at 36,000 feet. That's really the great puzzle," said ABC News aviation analyst John Nance. Aircraft windshields are designed with multiple layers to be able to sustain damage caused by things like a bird strike, weather or even debris, but experts say it's rare for it to be a bird strike that high in the sky. "You're talking about a bird at that altitude. It's very, very rare to say the least, you're talking about maybe a drone, a weather balloon, anything of that nature that has enough mass to be able to cause this kind of shattering," said Nance. United Airlines said the Boeing 737-MAX 8 with 134 passengers landed safely in Utah "to address damage to its multilayered windshield." Officials said the pilot was treated for minor injuries. Heather Ramsey, a college student and a passenger onboard, said she first noticed something was weird about 50 minutes into the flight, even before any announcements, when she overheard one of the flight attendants sharply raising her voice and telling the other to stop the service and get to the back of the cabin. Shortly after, Ramsey said the pilot made an announcement of the flight diverting. "The aircraft has collided with an object and a window in the cockpit has shattered, so we need to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City," Ramsey told ABC News, recalling the pilot's message. The airline said passengers were accommodated on another aircraft to Los Angeles later that day and United is working with its team to return the plane to service.
Mobile, Ala. - The Alabama School of Math and Science (ASMS) is partnering with WindBorne Systems to launch weather balloons from its Midtown Mobile campus into Hurricane Milton on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
WindBorne has also partnered with the U.S. Air Force (the 557th Weather Wing, 16th Weather Squadron, and the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center) to develop AI forecasting solutions that are already outperforming top AI weather models, including Huawei's Pangu-Weather AI model and Google's GraphCast.
WindBorne Systems, known for its extensive atmospheric sensing system and highly accurate AI weather model, has announced $15M in a Series A
WindBorne raises $15M in Series A funding.