We’re on a mission to do something really, really small.You’ll design the instruments that make precision possible.

Lace Lithography is developing revolutionary chip lithography technology to dramatically improve chip performance. We seek a skilled Atomic Optics Computational Physicist with expertise in laser cooling and advanced atomic/molecular optics for our Instrument Modelling squads in Barcelona.

About the Role

As a senior technical contributor to the simulations and design team, you will apply your expertise in laser cooling and advanced atom optics. You will be pivotal in shaping the technical roadmap for atom manipulation and control. You will be a senior hands-on contributor to physics-related calculations, modeling, and simulations, driving our core technology development.

This role is based in Barcelona, and will involve occasional travel between our two locations throughout the year.

What you’ll do

• Perform theoretical calculations and develop models for laser cooling schemes (e.g., Doppler, Raman) and other atom-light interactions critical to our lithography system.
• Develop, implement, optimize, and validate numerical solvers and simulation tools (primarily Julia, Python C++ or specialized environments also considered) to model AMO processes, including multi-level atomic systems, light propagation, quantum dynamics, and atom-field interactions.
• Design, code, and evaluate simulations of atomic systems, focusing on generating, cooling, and manipulating neutral atoms (e.g., deflection, trapping, interferometry) with laser light and optical forces.
• Good understanding of the theory of diffraction, ideally of atom diffraction.
• Model and simulate neutral atom beam dynamics, including advanced laser cooling/guiding, to optimize beam properties (e.g., phase-space density, coherence) for lithographic applications.
• Design experimental setups and optical/vacuum components for atom manipulation, collaborating with the experimental team to bridge theory and practice.
• Stay current with research in laser cooling, optical manipulation, quantum optics, and AMO physics, implementing new techniques and methods.
• Collaborate with the Instrument Modelling team and experimentalists to ensure physics models are accurate, predictive, and validated against experimental data.
• Implement best practices in scientific rigor, computational physics, code development (version control, testing, documentation, reproducibility), and data analysis.
• Mentor junior physicists and engineers, fostering their growth and ensuring timely project execution.

Who you are

• Graduate-level understanding of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) physics, with depth in laser cooling, atom-light interactions, quantum optics, and coherent control.
• Graduate-level grasp of classical and quantum optics, including laser physics.
  PhD or MSc in Physics (AMO specialization). Research should show contributions and expertise in:
• Advanced laser cooling (e.g., Doppler,, optical molasses, Sisyphus methods, Raman, bichromatic/ rectified dipole forces,).
• Magneto-optical forces and manipulation (e.g. MOTs, lenses)
• Atom trapping, atom interferometry, or coherent atom manipulation.

• PhD + 3 years post doc or industry OR masters + 7 years industry or equivalent industrial R&D experience in AMO physics, quantum technologies, or related fields.
• Strong programming skills are crucial. Python or Julia proficiency for scientific computing, modeling, and simulations is essential. Experience with other languages (e.g., C++, Matlab) or simulation packages (e.g., COMSOL) is a plus. You will be asked to complete a coding assessment.
• Track record of innovation and problem-solving, first-author publications in relevant peer-reviewed journals are a plus (AMO physics, laser cooling, quantum optics…).
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced, interdisciplinary team.

Our team here at Lace

…consists of amazing people who’ve joined us from all over the world, driven by intense curiosity, the urge for exploration, and a desire to push the limits of physics. We promise to offer you a place among highly motivated Lacers, present you with extremely difficult problems - and have a lot of fun solving them.

Workplace & culture

Lace operates out of two beautiful, vibrant, and strong-willed cities. Although we are cities apart, we strive to make the team feel as one.

We don’t define values - but we have one universal expectation:
Be the best team player you can be.

Perks and Benefits

💸 Part of the team, part of the company

Competitive salary + equity through our incentive plan.

🏋️ Wellness & Team Culture
€600 annual wellness allowance, weekly team lunches, monthly social events, and an annual off-site with the whole team.

🚀 Personal Development
Quarterly development goals with your manager and your own budget to learn and grow.

🛬 Smooth onboarding, wherever you're coming from
We support relocation and immigration to make joining Lace as smooth and welcoming as possible.

✈️ Travel between Lace locations
We encourage cross-site collaboration and support travel between our York, Barcelona, and Bergen locations to stay connected and aligned.