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Meta Platforms · Sunnyvale, CA

# Research Scientist Intern, Optical System Design (PhD)

Sunnyvale, California, US Internship or early career Early career Design 

Listed on Meta Platforms’s official careers site. Posted November 6, 2026. Check that it is still open and apply there.
[Apply on Meta Platforms’s careers site →](https://www.metacareers.com/jobs/1895256495232542/)

[OpenNash Jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/) / [Meta Platforms](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/meta-platforms/) / Research Scientist Intern, Optical System Design (PhD)

## Job description

Meta Reality Labs brings together a world-class team of researchers, developers, and engineers to create the future of virtual and augmented reality, which together will become as universal and essential as smartphones and personal computers are today. And just as personal computers have done over the past 45 years, AR and VR will ultimately change everything about how we work, play, and connect. We are developing all the technologies needed to enable breakthrough AR glasses and VR headsets, including optics and displays, computer vision, audio, graphics, brain-computer interface, haptic interaction, eye/hand/face/body tracking, perception science, and true telepresence.

Some of those will advance much faster than others, but they all need to happen to enable AR and VR that are so compelling that they become an integral part of our lives. Our internships are twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) weeks long and we have various start dates throughout the year.

## Responsibilities

Collaborate with researchers and cross-functional partners including communicating research plans, progress, and results. Publish research results and contribute to research that can be applied to Meta product development. Develop next generation AR/VR displays with an emphasis on advanced simulations and prototyping to prove new concepts and understand the perceptual impact of those concepts. Collaborate with larger Meta Reality Labs Research team to explore novel solution space for AR/VR devices.

Explore the application of at least one of the following: geometrical optics, diffraction optics, polarization optics, illumination, optical system design. This position will have an emphasis of advanced simulations and prototyping to prove new concepts and the perceptual impact of those concepts.

## Qualifications

Currently has or is in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. degree in Optical Science, Optical Engineering, Computer Graphics, Opto-Mechanics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computational Imaging or relevant technical field
- Must obtain work authorization in country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment
- 2+ years experience in at least one of the following areas of optical research: physical optics, geometry optics, aberration theory, optical system prototyping, light transport and rendering
- 2+ years experience with scientific programming languages (e.g., MATLAB, Python, and Mathematica) Experience developing GPU-accelerated simulation or rendering tools (e.g., CUDA, OptiX, compute shaders, or similar) Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment
- Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences
- 2+ years of experience in system-level prototyping work, including hands-on prototyping of bench-top optical components
- Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, as well as first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences such as JOSA, SPIE, OSA, IEEE, CLEO, or similar Intent to return to degree program after the completion of the internship/co-op

## At a glance
- Posted by the employer: Nov 6, 2026
- First seen by OpenNash: Nov 8, 2026
- Last checked: Nov 8, 2026
- Listed for: 2 days
- Location: Sunnyvale, California, US
- Employment type: Internship or early career[Apply on Meta Platforms’s careers site →](https://www.metacareers.com/jobs/1895256495232542/)

## Hiring at Meta Platforms
- Open jobs: 1,340
- New in the last 7 days: After two weekly collections
- Tracked since: Jul 11, 2026

[All Meta Platforms jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/meta-platforms/) · [Weekly hiring report](/reports/hiring/)

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