Photonics Engineer

Trine Energy is a UK based early stage startup developing products for transmission of electrical power (1MW+) using power of fiber (PoF) as the core technology. PoF is already in use in many industries; however the power used in those applications is in milliwatts. Our power transmission target is orders of magnitude higher. It is a challenging yet exciting problem to solve.

We are working on the hypothesis that the production of power is a solved problem. Solar and wind based energy production has been rapidly scaling since the start of the century. In fact there is too much generation of solar and wind power in many European countries leading to curtailment and negative spot price of electricity. The renaissance of nuclear reactors and the advancements in fusion mean there will be no shortage of electrical power. The challenge will be to distribute that power at a national and global scale. Today the only option of distributing electrical power over distance is the power grid. It works, but just. It is a super old technology that takes immense effort to build or expand, and is costly to maintain. According to various studies, ~$1 Trillion of annual investment is needed globally to upgrade and expand the grid networks to reach net zero target by 2050. Governments don’t have fiscal capacity to make such investments. It has not seen any real innovation for a very long time and there is none on the horizon to significantly reduce the cost. It gets unstable when there is too much intermittent power in the mix, which goes against the global drive for energy transition. It is fragmented, and has no global scale.

Laser and fiber optic, in comparison, are modern technologies, enjoying rapid innovation. Both are highly flexible products. They have many interesting properties that electricity and power cables don’t have. They can be produced in significantly higher volumes and are easy to deploy. Their cost and performance are improving at Moore’s law scale. This opens the opportunity for us to build products and become an alternative to specific use cases that are easier to develop and implement in the near term, such as providing power redundancy using short distance transmission (<5km) to critical infrastructure such as defense systems and data centers. It is also possible to deliver electrical power as thermal energy for commercial and industrial heating. The long term goal is to create a global network of power, much like the internet, where producers and end users can connect instantly and seamlessly using our technology. The products that solve the energy distribution problem at a global scale have the potential to define a new industry.

Our plan is to combine technologies from different fields of science and engineering such as high power diode and fiber lasers, specialised fiber optic, power over fiber, and thermal photovoltaic cells to achieve the goal. By using technologies that are already invented and commercialised, and pushing the boundaries of engineering and finance to create a product that solves one of the biggest energy transition bottlenecks, is a mission worth pursuing.

About the Role

The role of the Photonics Engineer is to do deep dives into the physics of laser‑fiber interactions and generate insights for designing the system. A variety of laser properties and fiber properties have to be iterated to understand how the system will perform. The core analysis will primarily involve simulating the optical performance of the system for various laser power input levels, wavelengths, temporal and spatial shapes of the beam, and modes in combination with different types of fibers of different physical properties and length. Secondary effects such as heat and mechanical stress, degradation profile etc will also be a part of the analyses. The candidate will participate in the development of hypotheses, assumptions and scenarios for the simulations and generate data for analyses.

We are building a product that has no equivalent in the real world. Those who are imaginative, first principle thinkers and can shape discussions with a strong grasp of the subject matter will thrive in this role. The candidate is required to be a self‑starter, resourceful, problem solver, take the ownership of work and be optimised for speed and output generation. The candidate needs to be an obsessive note taker, document and chart builder. The candidate needs to have a strong technical grasp and intuitive understanding of the results to distinguish false positives and false negatives. The candidate will work closely with other members of the company, and have frequent interactions with vendors, suppliers, academia and target customers. This role will report to the product manager.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the design of the system, develop first-principles, physics-based simulation models of high-power optical fiber propagation, capturing nonlinear, multimode, and scaling phenomena in solid-core and hollow-core fibers.
• Develop and validate multiphysics simulations, including electromagnetic and coupled models.
• Build and apply linearization methods such as reduced-order and surrogate models.
• Perform parameter sweeps and trade-space analyses to compare system architectures and scaling limits.
• Translate simulation results into system-level insights and design recommendations.
• Document the work for internal reviews and external sharing—models, assumptions and results, enabling traceability from the simulations.
• Ability to design and validate models from first principles, define appropriate simplifications, and sanity‑check results against analytical estimates and experimental or literature data.
• Experience working with noisy or incomplete real‑world component data (supplier specs, measurements) and incorporating it into models.
• Clear technical communication skills, both written and verbal, and experience collaborating in cross‑functional teams.

What we are looking for

Must haves

• MSc or PhD in Physics, Photonics, or Optical Engineering
• Sound understanding and experience in applications: (a) FEM + mode solving + nonlinear propagation.(b) vector calculus and PDEs for generalised non‑linear Maxwell equation (c) Eigenvalue problems (mode finding), nonlinear ODE/PDE solvers for SRS and other nonlinear effects
• Strong programming skills in Python and familiarity with scientific computing stacks and/or commercial multiphysics tools (e.g., Mathworks, COMSOL, Ansys, similar).
• Ability to work from first principles in a fast-moving startup R&D environment.

Nice to haves

• Prior work on high‑power fiber lasers, large‑core or specialty fibers (MMF, PCF, HCF), or nonlinear fiber optics (e.g., SRS, SBS, self‑phase modulation).
• Experience with AI‑assisted simulation: surrogate modelling, physics‑informed neural networks, or reinforcement learning for design optimisation.
• High‑power laser safety, or reliability modelling
• Experience in early‑stage startups or research environments where requirements evolve quickly and documentation and tooling must be built from scratch.

What We Offer

This is a WFH role. Open to both UK and non‑UK based candidates. This is a full‑time role. For the right candidates, we are open to a part‑time start and gradual move to full‑time.

This is an opportunity to work on a game‑changing energy distribution system with massive global impact. The role will have high visibility, travel, participation in industry events, and an opportunity to work with top OEMs, academia, labs and customers. Besides competitive compensation, the company will provide a private healthcare plan for self and family, opportunity to participate in employee stock plan and long‑term growth.

Seniority level

• Entry level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

• Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution

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