Digital IC & FPGA Engineer — PhD/Postdoctoral Development Programme

Disgrifiad o'r Cwmni

Advanced Digital IC & FPGA Design Programme

Company Overview

Novomorphic is a new semiconductor design venture backed by Cadence Design Systems, Welsh Government, and CSA Catapult. We have been established to build critical semiconductor design capability in the UK.

Our focus is advanced integrated circuit and electronic system design, with particular strength in low-power intelligent hardware, edge AI, digital design, mixed-signal systems, and compound semiconductor technologies.

We are building Novomorphic from the ground up. That means every engineer who joins us will help shape the company, its technical capability, and its culture. We value technical excellence, ownership, curiosity, collaboration, and practical delivery.

The Opportunity

This is not a conventional graduate role. It is a structured industry development programme for PhD-level and postdoctoral engineers who want to build a long-term career in Digital IC and FPGA engineering.

You will work in real semiconductor and programmable hardware design environments using industry-standard Cadence and FPGA toolchains. You will be mentored by experienced IC designers, FPGA engineers, and system architects while contributing to live engineering work, internal IP development, and customer-facing projects.

The role is suited to candidates who have strong research ability and want to apply it in a commercial semiconductor environment where quality, pace, and practical engineering matter.

Role Overview

Novomorphic is seeking talented PhD graduates and postdoctoral researchers to join our growing Digital IC and FPGA Design team.

You will contribute to the design, simulation, verification, implementation, and optimisation of digital integrated circuits and FPGA-based systems for low-power intelligent hardware applications. Target areas include edge AI, embedded acceleration, communications, sensing, secure systems, and future computing architectures.

The role combines hands-on digital hardware engineering, research-driven innovation, system-level thinking, and exposure to advanced semiconductor design methodologies.

What You Will Do

Digital IC and FPGA Design

• Design, simulate, verify, and implement digital IC blocks and FPGA-based systems under the guidance of experienced engineers.
• Develop RTL using VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog.
• Work with Cadence digital IC design environments and FPGA implementation toolchains.
• Contribute to synthesis, timing analysis, timing closure, simulation debug, and design optimisation.
• Help develop digital designs optimised for performance, scalability, robustness, and low-power operation.
• Support system-level integration and hardware/software co-design activities.
• Contribute to technical documentation, design reviews, and validation work.

Research and Innovation

• Develop and improve reusable semiconductor IP.
• Investigate emerging technologies in edge AI, AI acceleration, secure architectures, embedded systems, and future computing.
• Contribute to feasibility studies, technical investigations, and innovation projects.
• Translate research ideas into practical engineering outputs.

Collaboration and Technical Growth

• Work closely with Digital IC designers, FPGA engineers, researchers, and system architects.
• Participate in technical reviews, design discussions, and engineering problem-solving sessions.
• Build capability across Cadence workflows, FPGA methodologies, verification approaches, and low-power digital system design.
• Progress towards independent technical ownership within 6–12 months.

What You Will Develop

Through the programme, you will build practical capability in:

• Advanced Digital IC design methodologies
• FPGA architecture and implementation flows
• RTL development using VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog
• Digital simulation, verification, and validation
• Cadence digital IC design environments and workflows
• FPGA synthesis, timing closure, and optimisation
• Low-power and energy-constrained digital system design
• Hardware/software co-design and embedded integration
• AI acceleration and intelligent hardware architectures
• Digital system performance analysis and optimisation
• Reusable semiconductor IP development
• Cross-disciplinary semiconductor and system engineering

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for technically strong, research-driven candidates with a clear interest in digital semiconductor design, FPGA systems, and intelligent hardware.

Essential Requirements

• PhD or postdoctoral experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronic Engineering
  • Microelectronics
  • Computer Engineering
  • Embedded Systems
  • Computer Science with strong hardware relevance
  • A closely related field
• Strong understanding of digital electronics and semiconductor fundamentals.
• Evidence of digital hardware, RTL, FPGA, computer architecture, EDA, embedded systems, or semiconductor-related research.
• Genuine interest in Digital IC and FPGA design.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering domains.
• Clear communication and willingness to document technical work properly.

Desirable Experience

Experience through research, publications, prototypes, coursework, open-source work, or practical development in areas such as:

• FPGA or HDL development using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog
• RTL design and digital system development
• Simulation, verification, or validation environments
• Embedded systems or Linux environments
• Hardware/software co-design
• AI/ML awareness or accelerator-based projects
• Python, C/C++, C#, Tcl, Bash, or scripting for automation
• Security-oriented architectures or secure systems
• Signal processing or intelligent digital hardware
• Low-power digital system optimisation

Familiarity with any of the following tools is useful but not essential:

• Cadence digital design tools
• Vivado
• Quartus
• ModelSim / QuestaSim
• Libero
• MATLAB / Simulink

Previous industry experience is not required, but serious hands-on digital hardware experience is important.

We Value Engineers Who

• Take ownership and follow through.
• Enjoy solving difficult technical problems.
• Are curious, practical, and willing to learn quickly.
• Can work independently without disappearing into a silo.
• Collaborate well with engineers from different disciplines.
• Communicate clearly, especially when raising risks or blockers.
• Are comfortable in a start-up environment where priorities can move quickly.
• Want to build real semiconductor capability, not just write papers.

What Success Looks Like

Early success in this role means:

• Strong engagement with onboarding and technical development.
• Good progress in Cadence-based Digital IC and FPGA workflows.
• High-quality delivery on assigned design, verification, research, or documentation tasks.
• Active participation in design reviews and technical discussions.
• Growing confidence in RTL design, verification, timing optimisation, and FPGA implementation.
• Meaningful contribution to internal IP, innovation activity, and customer projects.
• Clear progression towards independent technical ownership within 6–12 months.

Why Join Novomorphic?

At Novomorphic, you will:

• Work on next-generation semiconductor and intelligent hardware technologies.
• Use industry-standard Cadence IC and FPGA design tools.
• Learn directly from experienced semiconductor engineers and researchers.
• Build highly sought-after Digital IC and FPGA engineering expertise.
• Contribute to real customer and internal IP projects.
• Gain exposure to low-power, intelligent, mixed-signal, and compound semiconductor technologies.
• Help strengthen the UK semiconductor ecosystem.
• Build a long-term career in semiconductor and programmable hardware engineering.

Benefits

Novomorphic’s benefits package includes:

• 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Annual discretionary bonus scheme
• Life assurance
• Private medical insurance
• Additional benefits tailored to employee needs

Location and Working Model

This role is based in Cardiff, Wales. Working arrangements may vary depending on project and business requirements.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK or be eligible for sponsorship, where applicable.