Senior Thin-film Materials Engineer (inorganic) Rivercell
Data generation infrastructure for AI Virtual Cell models in drug discovery.
Permanent
Paris
No remote
Salary: Not specified
Skills we're looking for
Motivational skills
Windows
Assembly
You'll be part of
Intelligence artificielle / Machine Learning
Pharmaceutique / Biotechnologique
Rivercell’s mission is to change how medicines are discovered by teaching AI to understand the human cell. Developing a single drug still takes years with an 90% failure rate in human. Predicting how cells respond to treatment before going to the lab would make it faster, and open up possibilities that are out of reach today.
That’s the promise of AI Virtual Cells: world models that learn the underlying rules of how cells respond to drugs and genetic changes, much as AlphaFold learned to predict protein structure. What holds them back is data. The vast, diverse, multimodal and time-resolved perturbational data they need doesn’t exist at scale, so we are building the infrastructure that generates it.
Our platform applies chemical and genetic perturbations to large cell populations and reads out their molecular and morphological responses at single-cell resolution, across millions of perturbation and context combinations. We then use that data to train our own world model of the cell.Â
Doing this takes a truly multidisciplinary team, where experts in thin films, microfluidics and instrumentation work side by side with experts in machine learning, computational biology and cell biology.
You'll be working on
We are looking for a Senior Thin-film Materials Engineer to develop and own the inorganic material stack at the heart of Rivercell's platform.
You will combine materials science, deposition-process engineering, device physics, and reliability to develop the photoconductor, dielectric layers, and their interfaces as one integrated system. Your objective will be to achieve strong optical switching, reliable high-field operation, and a reproducible fabrication process.
You will work hand-in-hand with our microfluidic chip lead, surface scientist, characterization engineer, and assembly team, as well as an interdisciplinary team spanning genetic engineering, AI and software, bio-laboratory automation, optics, electronics, and biology. You will be an integral part of an ambitious and exciting startup project from its inception.
Develop and optimize a-Si:H and evaluate alternative photoconductive materials, together with dielectric layers and multilayers based on SiNₓ, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and related materials
Translate chip-level requirements into specifications for conductivity, ON/OFF ratio, spectral response, capacitance, leakage, breakdown strength, optical transmission, stress, uniformity, and lifetime
Optimize photoconductor properties including dark and illuminated conductivity, response time, absorption, defect density, hydrogen incorporation, thickness, stress, and long-term stability
Develop and tune PECVD, ALD, sputtering, or related deposition processes for composition, stoichiometry, density, hydrogen content, roughness, thickness uniformity, and process repeatability
Engineer interfaces between the transparent electrode, photoconductor, dielectric stack, and upper surface while minimizing plasma damage, thermal degradation, interfacial defects, and delamination
Design multilayer architectures that balance voltage distribution, photoconductor switching, capacitance, optical performance, dielectric strength, charge injection, charge trapping, and manufacturability
Plan and execute structured development campaigns with internal laboratories, external cleanrooms, research partners, and equipment vendors
Characterize and interpret electrical, optical, and structural measurements, including impedance, leakage, breakdown, FTIR, ellipsometry, profilometry, and spectroscopy
Investigate failure modes such as excessive dark current, insufficient photoconductivity, non-uniform switching, dielectric leakage, breakdown, charge drift, hydrogen loss, stress, pinholes, and process-induced damage
Define process windows, test structures, material specifications, acceptance criteria, and the roadmap for transfer to scalable fabrication equipment
Opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project in the field of biotech
Opportunity to join an ambitious team and impactful startup among the first employees
Competitive salary and equity package
Exciting opportunities for personal and professional growth within the team
We're looking for
You have a PhD in materials science, applied physics, semiconductor engineering, electrical engineering, microelectronics, or a related field.
You have 5+ years of relevant experience developing semiconductor and/or dielectric thin films, including hands-on deposition, characterization, and process optimization.
You understand how material properties, interfaces, process conditions, and electrical fields interact at device level.
You combine scientific curiosity with an engineering mindset focused on reproducibility, specifications, reliability, and practical execution.
You are autonomous, committed, enthusiastic, and comfortable working with a can-do, creative, and challenging mindset.
You are rigorous in experiment design, documentation, data interpretation, and communication of uncertainty.
You have excellent communication skills and are fluent in English; professional proficiency in French is helpful but not required.
You have previous experience in one or more of the following areas:
PECVD, ALD, sputtering, PVD, or related thin-film deposition processes
Amorphous semiconductors, dielectric materials, defect states, carrier transport, charge injection, and charge trapping
Electrical, optical, and structural characterization of multilayer thin-film devices
Cleanroom process development, design of experiments, process transfer, or work with external fabrication partners
Integration of multilayer stacks in microelectronic, photovoltaic, display, MEMS, sensor, or optoelectronic devices
Please let us know in your application if you specifically have experience with one or several of the following:
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon, TFTs, thin-film photovoltaics, image sensors, photodetectors, or related devices
SiNₓ, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, oxide–nitride multilayers, or high-field dielectric reliability
FTIR, ellipsometry, impedance spectroscopy, C–V, leakage-current, breakdown, or bias-stress measurements
Charge-trapping, dielectric ageing, breakdown statistics, or lifetime modelling
Large-area uniformity, thick-film deposition, and transfer of recipes between research and industrial tools
How we hire
Throughout the recruiting process, you will meet 4 to 6 team members of Rivercell.Â
Introductory call (up to 30mn, videocall)
Technical interview (up to 90mn)
Performance interview (up to 90mn, in person)
Culture interview (up to 60mn, in person)Â