Early Stage Development Engineer

Role Purpose

At Corning, we're engineering what comes next in automated manufacturing — and this role is where that work begins. As an Early-Stage Development Engineer, you'll design, build, and personally operate the lab-scale testbeds that answer the hardest technical questions before any industrial system is designed. Working hands-on with material transformation technologies — laser processing, adhesive bonding, precision dispensing, optical alignment, and beyond — you'll deliver the go/no-go technical evidence that shapes what Corning builds at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with technology leads and automation process engineers to frame and prioritize the technical questions that must be answered at the earliest stage of development.
• Design and build lab-scale apparatus and testbeds — integrating mechanical, electrical, motion, sensing, vision, and controls elements — to explore and validate candidate process approaches.
• Run structured experiments (Design of Experiments, DMAIC, hypothesis-driven testing) to characterize processes, define process windows, and generate statistical evidence supporting go/no-go decisions.
• Develop working knowledge of the underlying material transformation physics to make sound design decisions and communicate results clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Produce clear technical documentation — concepts, designs, results, assumptions, and risks — to support design reviews, downstream system specification, and IP capture.
• Identify scaling, throughput, and safety considerations early to ensure testbeds have clear line-of-sight to the eventual production system.

Experiences/Education - Required

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field with 2–4 years of relevant experience; or MS with relevant internships or research experience (0–2 years).
• Strong fundamentals in engineering mechanics and basic electrical circuits.
• Hands-on proficiency in a lab environment — working with tools, alignment fixtures, basic electronics, and prototype hardware.
• Ability to write scripts or programs for data acquisition or motion control (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and aptitude to learn new tools quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to reason from first principles and draw sound engineering conclusions from limited data.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation, diagrams, and design reviews.

Experiences/Education - Desired

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant technical discipline.
• Hands-on exposure to laser processing, adhesive bonding, precision dispensing, optical alignment, or similar material transformation technologies; basic optics or opto-mechanics knowledge is a plus.
• Mechanical design experience in SolidWorks or equivalent CAD software.
• Experience with motion control, machine vision, or sensor integration.
• Experience using MATLAB or Python for engineering analysis, data analysis, or simulation; familiarity with structured experimentation methods (DOE, DMAIC, or Six Sigma equivalents).
• Understanding of tolerancing, alignment sensitivity, repeatability, and mechanical error budget concepts; prior experience building benchtop prototypes or lab apparatus in a university, internship, or work setting.