Wearable Hardware R&D Engineer - New-Grad PhD(On-site. West Lafayette, USA)
Ixana
Transform healthcare with ultralow‑power Wi‑R™ technology
📍 On‑site – West Lafayette, IN | 💵 Base $95k – $125k (≈ $180 k – $240 k Bay‑Area equivalent after cost‑of‑living) +bonus(8-30%)+ equity + full benefits
✈️ We provide relocation packages and visa transfers (if required) for engineers currently in the San Francisco Bay Area and other U.S. hubs.
🚀 About Ixana
Ixana is a Purdue University spinoff pioneering brain-inspired wearable computing. We've developed Wi-R, a patented communication tech that's 100x more energy-efficient than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Join our 60-person team building the next era of real-time, AI-powered human-computer interaction.
💡 The Wi-R Revolution
Wi-R is our patented non-radiative near-field communication technology that creates secure "wire-like wireless" experiences through small E-field bubbles around your body. This breakthrough enables unprecedented energy efficiency at sub-0.1 nanojoules per bit, making long-term wearable and implantable devices finally practical.
See Wi-R in action: Visit ixana.ai for demos of high-speed data streaming through skin contact: https://vimeo.com/ixana/pairing-contact-transfer
What you’ll do
• Invent next‑gen wearables & implantables (EEG glasses, EMG patches, smart implants) around Wi‑R SoCs
• Own the path from concept → schematic → 4‑layer medical PCB → firmware bring‑up → benchtop & in‑vivo tests
• Design for FDA Class II/III: biocompatibility, hermetic packaging, ISO 13485 documentation
• Collaborate daily with IC, RF, mech and clinical teams; publish & patent your work
What we’re looking for
• PhD (completed 2023 – 2026) in EE, ECE, BME, ME or similar
• Proven wearable or implantable hardware project (labs, dissertation or startup)
• Skills in PCB (Altium/KiCad), sensors, low‑power analog / mixed‑signal, embedded C/C++ or Python
• Able to relocate to West Lafayette and work on‑site 5 days / week
Bonus: 4‑layer medical PCB layouts, biocompatible materials, FDA / ISO 13485 experience, publications or patents in flexible electronics, biosensors or neural interfaces
Compensation & benefits
• Base salary $95 000 – $125 000 USD ‑ equivalent to ≈ $185 k – $240 k Bay‑Area purchasing power
• 8 – 30 % cash bonus + meaningful early‑stage equity
• Relocation bonus, partner job‑search help
• Full visa sponsorship (STEM‑OPT transfer / H‑1B / TN / future green card)
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, inventor cash awards
Why Ixana
• Ship world‑first products that can’t be built with today’s wireless
• Startup upside without seed‑stage risk – silicon proven, funded runway, 60 colleagues across IC → cloud
• Daily access to Purdue’s ecosystem
• Publish, patent, present – we celebrate open science and named inventorship
📍 Location
West Lafayette, IN – Based at our HQ near Purdue University. Relocation and local area orientation provided.
Ready to re‑wire healthcare?
Apply via our careers page the link here. In your note, tell us how you would use Wi‑R to improve patient care.
Ixana is an equal‑opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.