Senior LLM Algorithm Developer (Photonic Computing)

Location: Stuttgart, Germany

Company

Develops photonic processing systems that use light to provide scalable, energy-efficient computing for AI and high-performance computing applications.

What you will do

• Design new LLM algorithms tailored to photonic computing capabilities and optimize existing algorithm layers.
• Model and simulate the performance and scalability of advanced LLM architectures.
• Collaborate with photonic integrated circuit and systems architecture teams on future hardware generations.
• Bridge software and hardware architecture discussions across algorithms and applications.
• Drive research from first principles toward inventive solutions for analog/digital electronics and photonics.

Requirements

• University degree at MSc or PhD level in computer science, mathematics, physics, or a related technical field.
• Deep knowledge of LLM algorithms, transformer bottlenecks, and performance challenges.
• Hands-on experience developing core LLM components; relevant research experience is accepted for PhD holders.
• High proficiency with PyTorch, JAX, and frameworks such as vllm or llama.cpp.
• Fluent English is required as the working language.
• Strong ownership, solution orientation, first-principles thinking, and research skills.

Nice to have

• PhD research focused on core LLM components.
• Knowledge of State Space Models such as Mamba and Gated DeltaNet, diffusion language models, reasoning models, or AI accelerator co-design.
• Contributions to open-source LLM projects or publications and talks at leading AI/ML conferences.

Culture & Benefits

• Research-first environment focused on curiosity, invention, and experimentation.
• High autonomy and self-responsibility in developing solutions at the edge of AI infrastructure.
• Fast-paced work where experimentation and failure support technical breakthroughs.
• Collaboration with an international, cross-functional team of physicists, hardware architects, and software engineers.
• Opportunity to contribute to photonic computing technology for future AI systems.