FPGA Engineering Staff Engineer

Salary Range: 80000 to 100000 (Currency: GBP) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

Key Responsibilities

Lead the development of next-generation FPGA systems at the heart of our microscopy platform — taking ownership of the existing codebase and its future evolution
Evaluate hardware options and design trade-offs across PC interfacing, device communication, logic structure, and memory subsystems
Port existing FPGA designs to new devices and platforms while preserving performance, reliability, and maintainability
Maintain, debug, and improve FPGA implementations, diagnosing issues across firmware, hardware interfaces, and system-level behaviour
Collaborate closely with neuroscientists and engineers to understand system requirements and translate them into firmware solutions with clear technical specifications 
Contributing to documentation and development practices
Help define and raise our technical ambitions — identifying problems we have not yet seen and proposing creative solutions

Required Qualifications

Degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a closely related field
Significant hands-on experience developing FPGA systems for complex instruments, embedded platforms, or high-performance hardware applications
Very strong experience with VHDL or a similar hardware description language
Experience working with Xilinx FPGA devices, including development, debugging, and porting between parts or families
Experience with multiple FPGA vendors or device families beyond Xilinx, with the ability to adapt designs across platforms
Strong understanding of FPGA architecture and digital system design, including interfaces, timing closure, memory subsystems, and system-level trade-offs
Demonstrated ability to take ownership of an existing codebase, improve it, and guide its long-term architectural direction
Ability to move fluidly between implementation and higher-level architecture — making good engineering decisions while keeping development practical and forward-looking
Strong debugging skills, with the ability to isolate and resolve issues across FPGA logic, surrounding electronics, and software/hardware boundaries
Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset — you can explain a complex technical trade-off to non-specialists and turn user feedback into clear engineering requirements

Preferred Qualifications

Industry or startup experience in instrumentation, embedded systems, scientific hardware, or related high-performance engineering environments — you know how to apply the theory and what it means to build something that has to work reliably
Experience with the hardware side of FPGA systems, including board-level bring-up, signal interfacing, and integration with surrounding electronics
Experience developing custom FPGA boards or FPGA module carrier boards (specification, design, debugging). 
Experience with National Instruments FPGA systems and their associated development workflows
Familiarity with high-speed interfaces, data acquisition systems or real-time control in demanding hardware environments
Experience working on systems where FPGA, software, and hardware co-design are tightly linked
Programming ability beyond VHDL — enough to interface with test infrastructure, automation, or diagnostic tooling where needed (Rust highly desirable) 

Physical Demands

Fine motor skills for operating computers and lab/instrumentation tools
Ability to move light-to-moderate items (typical lab supplies/computers); may include occasional lifting/carrying with appropriate equipment (e.g., carts/dollies, kit)

Position Type / Schedule

Full-time at 40 hours/week preferred but will consider freelance contracting for the right fit
Lab location based in London or Cambridge — ability to travel to both preferred
Work arrangement: Hybrid with expected regular onsite presence due to laboratory responsibilities

Additional Information

Application materials: CV/resume + cover letter + 2 references
For exceptional candidates, we will consider sponsoring visas and supporting relocation
Compensation: competitive salary commensurate with experience
Generous Benefits will be communicated in interviews