Principal Engineer - Emerging Memory and Compute

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The job opening is for a full-time Research Staff Member in the device physics and electrical testing group in Western Digital's research department. The role will be a part of a multi-functional team whose aim is to develop future compute and memory technologies.  The responsibilities for the role will include Bringing up electrical test equipment & test code Designing electrical test procedures and analyzing test data Generating reports and presenting analysis to team Working with design, array architecture, materials, and process teams to drive next steps to improve the technology Generating intellectual property, publishing papers, and presenting at conferences REQUIRED: Minimum of a Ph.D. in Physics, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, or closely related field Additional postdoctoral work in academia or industry is preferred. The prior track record of a viable candidate must show: Extensive coding experience in Python for instrumentation and data analysis Ability to design and optimize electrical test procedures for assessing key performance metrics Strong scientific collaboration and communication skills Strong hands-on electrical device measurement skills  Good working knowledge of semiconductor or magnetic device physics Ability to innovate  SKILLS: The following skills and experiences are highly desired Expertise in electrical device equipment, such as AWGs, pulse generators, and oscilloscopes Experience with emerging memories such as MRAM, ReRAM, or PCM Track record of publications and patents   WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy. As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in. We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide. This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today. We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level. Join us and let’s shape the future of data. WD is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the " Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal ” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available  here . WD thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution. WD is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at  jobs.accommodations@wdc.com  to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying. Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 11/26/26, although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline. #LI-RR1 Compensation & Benefits Details An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs. The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York.  This range may be modified in the future. If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws.  You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned. You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under  either