Sensors Intern at WindBorne Systems in Palo Alto, CA

Summary: WindBorne Systems is supercharging weather models with a unique proprietary data source: a global constellation of next-generation smart weather balloons targeting the most critical atmospheric data. The Sensors Intern will improve sensor manufacturing processes and calibration systems, ensuring the performance of meteorological sensors used in their balloon constellation. Responsibilities: - Relentlessly optimize meteorological sensor manufacturing processes - Design and fabricate tooling and fixtures for soldering, conformal coating, and assembly workflows - Bring calibration systems to production readiness and improve existing calibration infrastructure, including temperature, pressure, and humidity chambers - Develop new measurement tools and methods for sensor characterization - Investigate and eliminate sources of bias, systematic error, and contamination - Research and develop new sensors and test them in flight - Analyze flight performance data: sift through large quantities of data, categorize trends, and present findings Required Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree or higher in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM field - Hands-on hardware skills: soldering, CAD, machine shop, 3D printing, laser cutting - Can rapidly prototype, iterate, and push things to production - Strong physics intuition and first-principles thinking - Ability to work with LLMs to accomplish software tasks - Python proficiency for data analysis and scripting - Linux/bash comfort — ability to navigate systems, run scripts, and work in the terminal - Data and statistical analysis - High agency: can own projects end-to-end with minimal oversight Preferred Qualifications: - Experience with temperature, pressure, or humidity chambers - Experience with PCB design or modification - Familiarity with low-temperature systems - Sensor calibration methods in any capacity - Background in experimental physics or instrumentation Required Skills: Soldering, CAD, Machine shop, 3D printing, Laser cutting, Physics intuition, Python, Linux/bash, Data analysis, Statistical analysis, Sensor calibration, PCB design, High agency