Optical Physicist Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Senior Laser Scientist / Optical Physicist –
Directed Energy, Photonics & Laser Systems
Location: Alexandria, VA / Washington, DC Employment Type: Full-Time Security Clearance: Active DoD Secret Clearance Required (U.S. Citizenship Required) Join Alaire Technologies
Alaire Technologies develops advanced sensing, laser, electro-optical, and signal processing
technologies that provide the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with next-generation operational
capabilities. We are seeking a Senior Laser Scientist, Optical Physicist, Applied Physicist, or Photonics
Engineer to lead the research, development, integration, and testing of advanced laser and
photonic systems supporting Navy and Department of Defense programs. The ideal candidate combines deep theoretical knowledge with extensive hands-on laboratory
experience designing, building, characterizing, and transitioning advanced laser technologies into
operational systems. Position Overview
This position supports research and development of next-generation laser systems for defense,
remote sensing, electro-optical, infrared, and directed energy applications. The successful candidate will lead experimental laser development, optical system design, beam
propagation modeling, laboratory testing, system characterization, and transition of advanced
technologies into ruggedized field systems. ,Key Responsibilities • Design, develop, integrate, and test advanced laser systems for defense and Navy applications. • Build and align laboratory laser systems including continuous wave (CW), pulsed, fiber, diode, solid-state, and specialty laser architectures. • Develop beam propagation models accounting for atmospheric turbulence, scattering, thermal blooming, absorption, and maritime propagation effects. • Design and optimize optical systems, beam delivery systems, and laser diagnostics. • Conduct laboratory experiments, collect and analyze data, and refine laser architectures for performance, stability, efficiency, reliability, and safety. • Characterize optical components, laser sources, beam quality, pointing accuracy, power stability, wavelength stability, and optical efficiency. • Collaborate with optical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, controls, and systems engineers to transition laboratory technologies into fieldable systems. • Support hardware integration, environmental testing, verification, validation, and customer demonstrations. • Prepare technical reports, engineering analyses, design documentation, safety documentation, and customer presentations. Required Qualifications • PhD in: o Physics o Applied Physics o Optical Engineering o Electrical Engineering o Photonics o Laser Physics o Engineering Physics o or a closely related discipline. • Active DoD Secret Clearance. • Extensive hands-on laboratory experience with advanced laser systems. • Strong background in optical system design, laser characterization, and photonic technologies. • Experience with optical diagnostics including: o Beam profilers o Spectrometers o Interferometers o High-speed photodetectors o Power meters , o Wavefront sensors o Optical spectrum analyzers • Strong mathematical and computational modeling skills. • Experience modeling: o Beam propagation o Atmospheric propagation o Optical scattering o Thermal blooming o Nonlinear optics o Wave optics • Programming experience with: o Python o MATLAB o LabVIEW o C o C++ Preferred Qualifications
Experience with one or more of the following: • Directed Energy • High-energy laser (HEL) systems • Fiber lasers • Solid-state lasers • Diode lasers • Ultrafast lasers • Femtosecond lasers • Picosecond lasers • Nanosecond pulsed lasers • Laser spectroscopy • Optical frequency combs • Frequency stabilization • Narrow-linewidth lasers • Frequency locking • Nonlinear optics • Adaptive optics • Beam steering • Free-space optics • Fiber optics , • Optical coatings • Precision opto-mechanics • Electro-optics (EO) • Infrared (IR) • EO/IR systems • LiDAR • Remote sensing • Optical metrology • Optical alignment • Optical design • Zemax • Code V • Radiometry • Photometry • Image processing • Signal processing • High-speed data acquisition Desired Experience
Experience supporting: • U.S. Navy • Department of Defense (DoD) • Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) • Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) • DARPA • Naval Surface Warfare Center • MIT Lincoln Laboratory • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory • Directed Energy programs • Defense research laboratories • Aerospace systems Experience transitioning laboratory technologies into operational or production systems is highly
desirable. ,Clearance Requirements • Active DoD Secret Clearance required. • U.S. Citizenship required. • Active Top Secret or SCI clearance is a plus. Why Join Alaire?
At Alaire Technologies, you'll help develop next-generation laser, photonic, and electro-optical
technologies that directly support U.S. Navy and Department of Defense missions. You'll work
alongside a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, contribute to cutting-edge
research, and transition innovative technologies from the laboratory to operational capability.