Sr. R&D Engineer - Simulation & Modeling

Sr. R&D Engineer - Simulation & Modeling

Department: Research & Development

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: US-North Carolina-Raleigh

Description This position is ideal for senior-level R&D engineers specializing in Simulation and Modeling to join the Process Modeling team within Product Research Engineering as a Sr. R&D Engineer - Simulation & Modeling. In this role, you will lead the development of advanced manufacturing technologies by applying innovative finite element modeling and machine learning techniques to optimize and understand additive manufacturing processes.

Your work will directly enhance the production of dental and orthodontic devices and play a critical role in shaping Align Technology’s next-generation products and driving future success.

• Lead the cutting-edge 3D printing technologies by leveraging innovative finite element models and machine learning approaches to optimize and understand the additive manufacturing process, enhancing the production of dental and orthodontic devices.
• Lead the machine learning projects for orthodontic system design and manufacturing, from initial data analysis and model development to optimization, deployment, and ongoing monitoring, leveraging massive clinical research database.
• Lead the development of a state-of-the-art finite element analysis (FEA/FEM) platform of orthodontic systems leveraging cutting edge computational algorithms.
• Lead the development of robust methods for difficult-to-model conditions leveraging advanced commercial FEA/FEM software.
• Work cross-functionally with the software team to deploy computational models to very large scales, with design team to integrate model-driven components into the product, with materials and process team to calibrate physical models, and with clinical team to run studies for model validation.
• Work independently to develop and evaluate new products/solutions or to adapt and improve existing ones using computational modeling and physical experiments.
• Design, build, and verify test hardware, software, and systems as needed.
• Define and conduct procedures for bench top testing to evaluate product performance, including efficacy, reliability, verification, and validation, as needed.
• Work with clinical team to conduct pilot studies and other investigations.
• Perform and document work in accordance with FDA/ISO regulations, including test protocols, test results, and other requirements.
• Communicate with professionals in the field at all levels and transition information into product improvement.
• Provide general engineering support in R&D.

• Education:
  • MS + 6 years or PhD + 3 years in Biomedical/Mechanical/Computer Science/Engineering, Statistics or other related degrees/equivalent work experience.
• Experience and Skills:
  • 5+ years with hands-on experience in structural FEA/FEM with simulation software, such as ABAQUS, ANSYS, Comsol, Radioss, etc.
  • 5+ years coding experience with programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, C/C++ or Fortran.
  • 5+ years with data processing and visualization libraries such as numpy, pandas, matplotlib, VTK, etc.
  • Hands-on experience in machine learning using traditional or deep models, such as scikit-learn, PyTorch, Tensor Flow, xgboost, etc.
  • Theoretical and experimental background in structural mechanics, biomechanics, material characterization, and finite element analysis.
• Communication:
  Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Teamwork:
  Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Experience with additive manufacturing technologies and processes.
• Experience with material (e.g., polymer) characterizations.
• Experience with 3D modeling tools, such as Solid Works, Rhinoceros, and Hyper Mesh.
• Experience with biomedical research or medical device industry.
• Experience with numerical optimization.
• Experience with cloud computation.

If provided, base salary or wage rate ranges are the range in which Align reasonably expects to set a candidate’s pay for the posted position. Actual placement depends on the individual skills and experience level of a candidate plus the total compensation and equity across team members. For other…