Embedded Software Engineer Intern, Implant Embedded Systems

About the role

Neuralink is developing devices that enable a bi-directional interface with the brain. These devices aim to restore movement to the paralyzed and restore sight to the blind. The company seeks to revolutionize how humans interact with their digital world. This role is embedded within the Brain Interfaces Embedded Systems Team, a division of the Brain Interfaces Hardware Department. This team owns the development of high-performance, safety-critical embedded systems for next-generation brain-computer interfaces. As a key member of this team, you will gain hands-on training and work alongside accomplished mentors who guide your technical growth. You will contribute real-world code to projects that operate in high-performance, safety-critical environments where precision is paramount. The role immerses you in exploring the boundaries of possibility within highly powered and latency-constrained settings. You will directly influence firmware, which acts as the kernel of operation for the implant, determining and implementing features that significantly impact product capabilities. Collaboration with chip designers, electrical engineers, algorithms engineers, and software engineers is central to succeeding on this small, agile team.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and develop bare-metal firmware modules for neural interfaces using C in a safety-critical context.
• Design low-latency drivers that communicate with custom chips and complex radio stacks while strictly adhering to thermal limits and safety protocols.
• Coordinate intricacies with electrical and algorithms teams to ensure seamless alignment with sensor data pipelines and biological signal processing.
• Architect modular code organization to enable elegant hardware bifurcation and efficient operational switching between different neural interface modes.
• Execute testing of system integrations on development boards and monitor real-time performance metrics to validate timing and throughput.
• Optimize power profiles meticulously to extend battery life without compromising the stringent requirements of safety or system reliability.
• Validate communication stacks and debug protocols using advanced lab equipment and trace tools to capture elusive timing violations or data corruption.
• Partner with cross-functional specialists to drive feature iteration from initial planning stages through rigorous verification to production release.
• Instrument firmware with detailed telemetry to provide insights into system health, performance bottlenecks, and potential failure modes for proactive analysis.
• Implement robust error handling and recovery mechanisms to ensure the implant maintains integrity under challenging electromagnetic and environmental conditions.
• Contribute to the development of automated test frameworks that verify firmware behavior against strict regulatory and safety compliance standards.
• Assist in the creation of detailed technical documentation for firmware modules, enabling knowledge transfer and long-term maintainability by the team.
• Participate in code reviews that enforce strict quality, safety, and reliability standards necessary for devices interfacing with the human nervous system.
• Support the integration of new silicon prototypes, writing low-level initialization code and debugging hardware-specific interactions at the register level.

Requirements

• Bring a minimum of 2+ years of embedded systems expertise to the role, demonstrating a history of managing complex constraints.
• Exhibit proficiency in C/C++ and Python, utilizing these languages for everyday development tasks, debugging, and automation.
• Possess the ability to read electrical schematics and datasheets to independently guide hardware decisions and debug connectivity issues.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of MCU architectures, peripherals, and embedded development environments that is mandatory for success.
• Master embedded toolchains and workflows required to ship reliable firmware updates efficiently and safely.
• Apply strong EE and DSP fundamentals consistently, employing HW/SW debugging skills using lab instruments like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
• Maintain a strict adherence to safety-critical development practices, understanding the implications of code on biological systems.
• Show capability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment where requirements evolve based on cutting-edge research findings.

Nice to have

• Gain hands-on experience with embedded stacks for ARM cores and implement safety-critical development methods to ensure reliability.
• Apply practical knowledge of FPGA development, RF protocols, BLE, TCP/IP stacks, and embedded security practices to solve complex connectivity challenges.

Practical notes

This is an internship engagement. The locations for this role are Austin, Texas, United States, and South San Francisco, California, United States. Compensation for this role is $35 per hour. A 401(k) plan is available after 1,000 hours of work for interns.