Turning breath into insights
At Halitus, we’re passionate about building diagnostic technology that frees humanity from debilitating diseases. We aim to make diseases from COVID-19 to cancer detectable within less than a minute, conveniently and non-invasive. If you get excited about shaping a future of healthcare that is proactive, intuitive to use, sustainable, and cost-effective, we'd love for you to join us. We’re an award-winning, purpose-driven Berlin-based DeepTech Start-up led by engineers and a doctor, supported by Roche’s RoX and backed by renowned investors.
The role
We’re looking for a Molecular physicist who leads the design, integration, and continuous improvement of the absorption spectroscopy solutions in medical diagnostic devices. We strongly believe in engineering teams being responsible for the operations of their services in research, development, and production. In this role, you’ll work closely with fellow engineers and broader team members, including medical doctors, in a fast-paced environment.
Molecular physicists’ job at Halitus is dedicated to the study of molecules-biomarkers in an exhaled air. Various types of spectroscopies are the most important experimental methods in this field. The main focus at Halitus is IR tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). This job also overlaps with quantum chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical physics.
Core responsibilities
Aside from the technical aspects of the design also has aspects related to costs, reliability, availability, and serviceability. Your responsibility is to focus on the molecular/spectroscopy scope of a project and drive the deliverables towards the completion within the requirements of medical device-related industry standards. This includes documentation, calculation, specification, qualification, integration, and driving issue handling.
The Molecular physicist will use a state-of-the-art spectroscopy set-up for laser absorption spectroscopy to investigate the properties of exhaled air (a mixture of 3000+ different chemical compounds) and also contribute to the further development of a new gas dynamic IR spectroscopy approach to explore its medical application.
The candidate must have a solid scientific background in physics or in physical chemistry and molecular spectroscopy. To fulfill this role, you need to align with the multi-disciplinary teams in the project on technical and functional aspects, scope, planning, and progress. Using your technical knowledge and analytical thinking, you take technical ownership of various deliverables that need to be developed for complex TDLAS modules.
Typical tasks include:
Research and development in the field of TDLAS
Specification, design, support implementation, qualification, and integration of new TDLAS functionality in breath analysis
Study and analysis of spectral databases and libraries
Search for hardware and software solutions to separate spectral patterns
Selection of the strongest absorption lines and calculation of absorption spectrums for the different chemical compounds in the complex gas mixture
Acquisition of knowledge on the mechanisms related to gas analysis
Contribution, in a team, to the development of a TDLAS-based medical diagnostic device that requires a mixture of hardware and machine learning developments
Contribution to diagnosing, resolving, and preventing technical issues - this involves analysing data, connecting the results to physical phenomena such as TDLAS, and steering towards the proper solution directions
Mathematical modelling of complex quantum, physical and chemical processes
Development of noise reduction algorithms and operation modes for laser spectroscopes
Translation of performance requirements into technical designs supported by multi-disciplinary specifications as input for detailed designs
Development of major experimental designs, written procedures for experimental data analysis and the spectroscopy methods
Performance and supervision of detailed, complex scientific experiments
Scientific and technical advice and helps troubleshoot experiments
Research proposals to government and private agencies
Performs regular literature research in order to stay current with TDLAS trends
Lead research programs that utilize spectroscopic data to interpret the behavior and physics parameters of exhaled air
Routinely reports in high-impact presentations, conference papers, and key peer-reviewed journals
Safe and efficient work environment and compliance with ISO procedures and programs
Documentation in compliance with ISO and related norms
Requirements and education
Minimum:
Bachelor's degree with at least 5 years of experience in photonics, physics, laser engineering, chemistry or similar discipline
MSc in engineering or physics
Experience (over 3 years) in projects in molecular physics and gas mediums IR spectroscopy
Knowledge of spectral libraries databases (e.g. HITRAN)
Knowledge of the fundamentals of absorption spectroscopy
Deep understanding of and experience in spectroscopy techniques
Considerable experience in an engineering research capacity, including but not limited to experimental laser set-ups, medical devices and collecting/processing spectroscopy data
Experience in working self-driven and in a multi-disciplinary team
A demonstrated history of publication in the area of research
Preferred:
Experience with TDLAS in breath analysis
Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field strongly desired
Knowledge of basic CAD (minimum of Autocad and Solidworks)
Proficient with scientific programming and the use of instrumentation
Strong working knowledge of various types of test equipment such as spectrometers, detectors, and optical sensors
Managerial experience or training
Skills
Working at the cutting edge of tech, you’ll always have new challenges and new problems to solve – and working together is the only way to do that. You won’t work in a silo. Instead, you’ll be part of a creative, dynamic work environment where you collaborate with supportive colleagues. There is always space for creative and unique points of view. You’ll have the flexibility and trust to choose how best to tackle tasks and solve problems.
To thrive in this job, you’ll need the following skills:
Ability to translate performance specifications into technical solutions for TDLAS modules
Affinity with working in a multidisciplinary environment related to complex systems
Affinity with laser, absorption spectroscopy, electronic and software disciplines
Affinity with hardware aspects such as spectrometers in the NIR/MIR spectrum and software aspects such as modelling
Ability to think on a functional level and in design details
Ability to integrate, test and troubleshoot functions on module or system level
Electronics and programming skills (e.g. Python)
Excellent communicational skills
Good verbal and written English skills
Ability to switch between complex matters and high-level conclusions and convey these understandably
Team player with the ability to build networks with other departments and suppliers
Self-propelling, showing initiative and drive, pragmatic attitude
Flexible, result-driven and committed
Strong analytical skills and drive for quality
Diversity & Inclusion
Halitus GmbH is committed to promoting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We believe that everyone in our tribe shares the responsibility of upholding our commitment to these values and encourage candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences to join us in freeing fellow humans from some of the most feared diseases.
Halitus does not discriminate based upon race, religion, colour, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Halitus is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.
Halitus is committed to making the job application process accessible to everyone. If you are living with a disability (visible or not) and need to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please let us know how we can help.
Contact us!
If you think we're a great mutual fit then we look forward to hearing from you — please send us your CV and a quick explanation of why this is a match made in heaven to jobs@halitus.io. Thanks!