Acoustic Research Engineer

At Meta’s Reality Labs Research, our goal is to make world-class consumer virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences. Come work alongside industry-leading scientists and engineers to create the technology that makes VR and AR pervasive and universal. Join the adventure of a lifetime as we make science fiction real and change the world. We are a world-class team of researchers and engineers creating the future of augmented and virtual 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 Smartglasses, AR glasses and VR headsets, including optics and displays, computer vision, audio, graphics, brain-computer interfaces, 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.

The Audio team at Meta Reality Labs is looking for an Acoustic Research Engineer to support audio data collections and experiments, conduct acoustic measurements, perform data processing and algorithm development, and conduct auditory perception experiments. You will be working closely with researchers and engineers to enable research & development of audio AR & VR technologies.Acoustic Research Engineer Responsibilities

• Development of data collection systems and protocols for acoustic, behavioural and other multi-modal data.
• Implementation of tooling and development of novel methods for audio measurements, data processing, acoustic testing and tuning.
• Data analysis with great attention to detail to identify future data quality improvements.
• Performing acoustic data collection involving complex capture systems, prototype devices, and human subjects in controlled laboratory environments.
• Reviewing other acoustic engineering work to ensure technical rigor.
• Creation of documentation to enable consistent and efficient collection and use of data.
• Learning constantly, diving into new areas with unfamiliar technologies, and embracing the ambiguity of AR/VR problem solving.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Acoustics, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a relevant technical field.
• 2+ years of experience related to audio technology development.
• 3+ years experience in Python, MATLAB, or an equivalent language for data acquisition, signal processing and analysis.
• Understanding and experience of acoustics and audio signal processing.
• Experience in performing audio/acoustic collections/experiments.
• Interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate across disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in real-time audio coding in C/C++.
• Familiarity with audio algorithm and machine-learning model development workflows.
• Expertise in any of psychoacoustics, auditory perception, spatial audio, room acoustics, and physical acoustics.
• Experience with building ML models on speech or acoustic datasets, ideally with Pytorch.
• Experience with prototype hardware devices.
• Understanding of visual and other sensors (e.g. motion capture and IMU), with experience in sensor and camera calibration.
• Experience with automated data collection and analysis.
• Experience designing and setting up acoustic laboratory spaces.
• Experience working in cross-functional, inter-disciplinary environments.
• Experience in producing high-quality technical reports and/or publications.

For those who live in or expect to work from California if hired for this position, please click here for additional information. About Meta Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
$111,000/year to $164,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.

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