Senior Optical Scientist

Requisition Number: 79740

The company built on breakthroughs. ​  
Join us.​          

Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.  ​  

How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations – not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company, and the world, forward. ​  

​At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.​   

​ Come break through with us.  

Corning’s businesses are ever-evolving to best serve our customers, industries, and consumers. Today, we accelerate and transform life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, display, automotive, and solar markets. We are changing the world with: 

• Trusted products that accelerate drug discovery, development, and delivery to save lives
• Damage-resistant cover glass to enhance the devices that keep us connected
• Optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions to carry information and ideas at the speed of light
• Precision glass for advanced displays to deliver richer experiences 
• Auto glass and ceramics to drive cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation 
• Solar polysilicon, wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, enabling low-cost solar energy solutions

For our location in Helsinki, Finland, we are looking for a

Senior Optical Scientist

Location:

The Corning Scientific Center in Helsinki operates as a critical part of the Modeling & Computing Technologies group that services Corning’s global RD&E organization. We work closely with experimentalist partners around the globe to apply modeling capabilities to increase the pace of Corning’s innovation in addition to collaborating internally with business and across Research, Development, Engineering, and commercial technology.

As a Senior Optical Scientist, you will work closely with a dedicated team of over 40 scientists at our Helsinki/Salmisaari office.

Role Summary:

• Develop and apply ray-tracing, wave-optics, and analytical models to design and optimize fiber-optic connectors and waveguides.
• Use simulation results to explain the underlying physical mechanisms and support prototype development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, model, and analyze fiber-optic connectors and fiber-to-chip interfaces.
• Calculate and analyze optical modes in fibers and waveguides, and model light propagation and coupling between fibers, waveguides, and photonic chips.
• Perform sensitivity, tolerance, and Monte Carlo analyses to predict coupling efficiency, insertion loss, and performance statistics.
• Optimize designs for optical performance and turn simulation results into design rules and specifications that support prototype fabrication.
• Compare simulation results with measurement data and support root-cause analysis of discrepancies and performance issues.
• Contribute to other optical modeling tasks as needed, such as diffraction gratings, surface light scattering, illumination systems, and light propagation in birefringent and gradient-index materials.
• Document and communicate technical work through reports and presentations, and contribute to invention disclosures and patent applications where appropriate.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Required Skills:

• Ph.D. in Physics, Applied Physics, Optics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, or a related discipline, or a Master's degree in one of these fields with 3+ years of relevant industry or research experience. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may also be considered. 
• Strong knowledge of fiber and integrated optics: optical fibers, waveguides, optical modes, mode coupling, and mode-field matching.
• Hands-on experience with Zemax OpticStudio in both sequential and non-sequential modes, including physical optics propagation.
• Experience with wave-optics modeling methods (e.g., FEM mode solving, FDTD, or BPM) using commercial or in-house tools.
• Experience with tolerance, sensitivity, and Monte Carlo statistical analysis of optical systems.
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and data analysis.
• A strong sense of ownership and the ability to deliver results with limited supervision.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical challenges.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for working with globally distributed team members.

Desired Skills:

• Familiarity with telecommunications, optical connectivity, co-packaged optics, and data center and AI interconnect architectures.
• Hands-on experience with RSoft (FemSIM, FullWAVE, BeamPROP) and/or Ansys Lumerical (MODE, FDTD).
• Understanding of optical experiments and measurement techniques, and experience comparing simulations with measurement data.
• Experience with structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis, e.g., importing FEA deformations into optical models.
• Experience with COMSOL Multiphysics and/or MATLAB.
• Experience with LightTools or other illumination design software.
• Basic knowledge of machine learning and optimization methods.

Residence Permit Support:

• Limited support with residence permit and national registration matters will be provided for relocations to Helsinki, Finland from another EU country.

Hours of work/work schedule/flextime:

• Hybrid, 40 hr. work week, flextime, full-time position.