Ph.D. Intern

About the Role

Marvell's Ph.D. Intern Program places doctoral candidates directly inside active design and research efforts in silicon photonics and optical communications. Projects are selected because they sit at the intersection of Marvell's most pressing optical engineering challenges and the photonics, signal processing, and device physics that define doctoral research in this field.

What you will take away

The experience of seeing your research become working optical silicon, deployed at scale inside the world's most advanced AI infrastructure.

What you can expect

As our Ph.D. Silicon Photonics & Optical Communications Intern, you will work on problems at the intersection of photonics, high-speed signal processing, and advanced semiconductor integration. Specifically, you can expect to:

• Design, simulate, and characterize silicon photonics components and subsystems — including modulators, photodetectors, waveguides, and optical engines — for integration into PAM4 and coherent transceiver platforms.
• Develop and validate DSP algorithms for high-speed optical links, including equalization, FEC, and signal integrity techniques for PAM4 and coherent modulation formats.
• Work on optical system modeling and link budget analysis for data center interconnect, co-packaged optics, and near-packaged optics applications.
• Collaborate with analog IC design, packaging, and systems engineering teams to bring photonic and electronic components together into integrated transceiver solutions.
• Characterize and validate designs in the lab — working with high-speed test equipment, optical measurement tools, and silicon bring-up setups.
• Participate in a structured design curriculum alongside your Ph.D. intern peers and present your research findings and design results to the engineering team.

What we're looking for

To thrive in this role, you must have hands-on research experience in photonics, optical communications, or high-speed signal processing. Specifically:

• Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field, with a research focus in photonics, optical communications, or high-speed signal processing.
• Demonstrate research experience in one or more of the following: silicon photonics device design and simulation, optical transceiver systems, coherent or direct-detect optical communications, or DSP algorithm development for high-speed links.
• Apply strong fundamentals in photonics and electromagnetics — waveguide theory, modulator physics, photodetector design, or optical link analysis.
• Use simulation and modeling tools relevant to your research area (FDTD, MODE, Lumerical, MATLAB, or equivalent) with confidence and independence.
• Communicate research findings and design tradeoffs clearly — you will present your work to the engineering team and defend your approach.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PAM4 or coherent modulation formats, FEC, or DSP equalization techniques for optical links.
• Familiarity with silicon photonics fabrication processes and design-for-manufacturing considerations in advanced CMOS-compatible platforms.
• Exposure to co-packaged optics, near-packaged optics, or optical engine integration for high-density interconnects.
• Lab experience with high-speed optical or electrical test and measurement equipment.
• Familiarity with analog IC design or mixed-signal circuits as they relate to optical transceiver front-ends (TIAs, laser drivers, modulators) is a strong plus.

Expected Base Pay Range (USD)

37 - 73, $ per hour.

Additional Compensation And Benefit Elements

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Perks and discounts
• Robust mental health resources
• Paid holidays
• Additional compensation may be available for intern PhD candidates.