Position Description
Spike Neuro is seeking a junior or mid-career Electrical Engineer with FPGA development experience to join our hardware development team. This individual will work under the direct supervision of an experienced Principal Investigator and contribute to the design, prototyping, and validation of novel neuroscience research instrumentation. Spike Neuro develops and manufactures electrophysiology and neurochemistry tools including neural probes, surface arrays, and data acquisition hardware, and actively pursues the development of new products in this space.
This is a hands-on engineering role focused on executing hardware development tasks across both data acquisition (DAQ) systems and miniaturized headstage electronics. The engineer will work closely with senior staff and collaborate with academic development partners. Opportunities for career development and continued training are available. PI or co-PI roles may be available based on experience. This is an excellent opportunity for to gain deep experience in neuroscience instrumentation within a small, mission-driven company.
Major Responsibilities
- Assist in the design, assembly, and debugging of analog and mixed-signal circuit boards for neuroscience data acquisition systems
- Lead FPGA development tasks including implementation of timing control logic, analog switch sequencing, and multiplexing clock management
- Assist with integration of hardware modules including stimulation, power supply, and signal conditioning components
- Contribute to PCB layout of compact, low-noise headstage electronics suitable for small animal research models, with strict size and weight constraints
- Implement and test solid-state switching circuitry that enables fast, low-artifact toggling between recording modalities
- Assemble, solder, and rework prototype circuit boards; perform bring-up and iterative hardware debugging
- Conduct benchtop electrical testing including saline bath characterization to validate noise floor, switch timing, signal fidelity, and channel crosstalk
- Support development of software to interface with and control hardware systems, reducing reliance on proprietary platforms such as National Instruments/LabVIEW
- Coordinate with external academic collaborators to ensure hardware compatibility across system components
- Maintain organized and thorough documentation of schematics, PCB files, BOMs, test procedures, and results
- Manage component ordering and small hardware inventories as needed
- Support quality management and documentation practices as products approach commercial readiness
- Participate in team meetings and provide clear progress updates to the PI and project team
- Assist with ad-hoc engineering tasks as assigned by senior leadership
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- 0–3 years of professional or research experience in electrical engineering; new graduates with relevant project or internship experience with FPGA development are encouraged to apply
- Coursework or hands-on experience with FPGA development (VHDL or Verilog)
- Demonstrated tapeout experience
- Foundational knowledge of analog circuit design including amplifiers, filters, and signal conditioning
- Familiarity with PCB design tools (e.g., Altium, KiCad, or Eagle)
- Comfort with standard electronic test and measurement equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, signal generators)
- Ability to solder, assemble, and debug prototype circuit boards
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite
- Must be thorough and detail oriented
- Must have excellent reading, writing, and communication skills in the English language
- Must have strong problem-solving and collaboration skills
- Must be self-motivated and receptive to feedback from senior engineers and the PI
Preferred Requirements
- Master’s degree or equivalent graduate research experience in Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field
- Experience with embedded firmware development (C/C++ or Python) for real-time hardware control
- Prior work with low-noise analog design, biopotential amplifiers, or electrochemistry instrumentation
- Experience with high-voltage analog development, surviving and operating at ±5 V or higher, including input protection, HV switching, and device-breakdown
- awareness
- Experience with low-current / electrochemical front-end development such as potentiostats, transimpedance, or sensor front ends resolving currents in the nano-amp range
- Familiarity with neuroscience hardware or research instrumentation; academic lab experience is applicable
- Experience with neural recording platforms such as Open Ephys or Intan
Other Role Details
- Primarily in-person role. Must be available for regular in-office work in Ann Arbor, MI. Eligible for flexible remote work based on project needs.
- Some travel may be required (~10%) for collaboration visits to partner institutions.
- This role offers significant opportunity for growth as the engineer develops expertise and the product line expands toward commercialization.
To Apply
When providing your CV, include a list of taped-out chips (process, foundry, your role, and what you characterized), and, if available, a representative publication or design
writeup. Strong candidates should expect a technical design discussion as
part of the interview.
Employment Details
Spike Neuro is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.
In this position, you will have access to knowledge and information, including but not limited to, technology, methodologies, service capabilities, and products of Spike Neuro and its clients, which is considered proprietary and confidential. By accepting this offer, you agree that such knowledge and information will be used solely for the benefit of Spike Neuro, LLC and its customers or approved partners, and will never be disclosed to competitors or non-approved third parties unless required by law.
Spike Neuro, LLC is an E-Verify employer. All employees are employees at will. Nothing in this description constitutes an employment contract.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
