Hardware Engineer PhD – Co-op

Posted on 9/16/2025

Cisco

Cisco

No salary listed

San Jose, CA, USA

In Person

Applications are accepted until further notice. 
Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Meet the Team

Open-minded, driven, diverse and very creative people at Cisco design the hardware that makes the internet work. Bring your knowledge of computers and networking and take it to a new level in any one of the following product categories including: cloud, social, mobile/wireless, video, VoIP, large data, collaboration, web, Internet of Things, routing, switching, IPv6, data center, HPC, Telepresence and many more. Your work will impact billions globally. 

Your Impact

Impact the product development from the lowest levels of circuit design to large system design and see your contribution all the way through to large volume manufacturing. 

Creative Hardware Engineering positions available in: 

  • ASIC Design and Verification 
  • System/Board Design 
  • Circuit Board Layout 
  • Hardware Automation, Validation and Test 
  • Signal Integrity 
  • Power Design 

Minimum Qualifications 

  • Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
  • Proficient experience in hardware engineering areas such as ASIC Design and Verification, System/Board Design, Circuit Board Layout, Hardware Automation, Validation and Test, Signal Integrity and Power Design. 
  • Foundational understanding of hardware engineering principles, including experience with hardware design and tools (e.g., Altium, Cadence, Mentor Graphics) and simulation software. 
  • Familiarity with hardware testing and debugging techniques using lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters. 

Preferred Qualifications 

  • Ability to lead multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and work toward both short- and long-term goals. 
  • Experience building and maintaining positive working relationships within diverse and extended teams. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
  • Proven ability to work collaboratively across business groups and teams (hardware, software, manufacturing, etc.). 
  • Exposure to scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C/C++) for test automation or data analysis. 

Why Cisco 

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Simply put – we power the future. 

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. 

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.