We are looking for a Summer 2027 Fabrication Engineering Intern to make the thin-film electrode arrays at the core of our neural interfaces. This is a high-ownership role. You will run real cleanroom processes and help improve them. You will not follow a fixed recipe. The devices you make go straight into bench tests, cell work and animal studies. You will work closely with our microfabrication, electrical engineering, biointerface and device teams. You will split your time between the cleanroom and our Palo Alto lab.
What You’ll Do
- Fabricate flexible thin-film electrode arrays in the cleanroom
- Run core process steps: photolithography, thin-film deposition, etching and electroplating
- Make soft and polymer parts with soft lithography and micromolding
- Inspect devices with optical microscopy and profilometry, and log defects and yield
- Prepare samples for impedance and other electrochemical tests
- Work with the EE and biology teams to turn test results into design and process changes
What We’re Looking For
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
- Minimum 12-week commitment, full-time, on-site
- Current Master’s or PhD student in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Engineering Physics or a related field
- Hands-on cleanroom experience from a lab, research project or past internship
- Practical use of at least one core process: lithography, deposition, etching
- Careful hands for small, delicate parts
- Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to safety and process records
- Ability to work on your own in the lab once trained
- Experience developing or adapting process steps, not just following them
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment
Nice to Have
- Work with flexible substrates such as polyimide or parylene, or with elastomers such as PDMS
- Wire bonding, flip-chip bonding or other fine-pitch interconnects
- Thin-film electrode materials such as gold, platinum or iridium oxide
- Experience with implantable devices or biocompatible materials
- Electrochemical tests such as impedance spectroscopy (EIS) or cyclic voltammetry (CV)
- CAD or mask layout tools such as KLayout or L-Edit
- Basic data analysis in Python, MATLAB or ImageJ
What You'll Get
- Hands-on cleanroom work on next-gen neural interface devices
- Mentorship from experienced engineers and scientists
- Devices with your name on the run sheet that go into real studies
- Opportunities to contribute to meaningful projects impacting real patients
Why Join Us
At Axo Neurotech, you’ll be joining a team that believes in bold ideas, scientific rigor, and the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. We’re creating the tools that will define the future of neurotechnology - and we’re just getting started.