Exclusive representation for experimental scientists
Your papers already prove what you can build. We take that proof to the people who decide.
OrbHop reads a scientist’s published papers, pulls out the hands-on capability they demonstrate at the bench, and writes it up as a one-page underwritten technical brief. We take that brief straight to the hardware leader whose roadmap needs exactly that skill. No CV, no application portal, no HR screen.
How it works
Nothing goes to an employer until the scientist has signed with us and approved that employer by name.
We read the papers
Not just the abstract. The methods, the contribution statement and the acknowledgements: who built the setup, who ran the fabrication, who took the measurements, and who supervised.
We write the brief
One page. Every capability line carries the sentence from the published paper that proves it. A caveats section says what was not hands-on, such as fabrication done elsewhere or a result that was simulated rather than measured.
We go above HR
The brief goes directly to the VP of Hardware, Chief Scientist or Director of Systems whose work is blocked on that capability. If they want to talk, the scientist goes straight into a technical conversation.
For scientists
Your published record does the talking
- No CV, no portal, no recruiter calls. We build your brief from what you have already published.
- Nothing is sent without you. We represent you under a sole-agency agreement, and your brief goes only to employers you have approved one by one.
- You pay nothing. The employer pays our fee.
- A bonus for staying. Scientists we place earn a retention bonus at twelve months, paid from our fee. The terms are in your representation letter.
For hardware leaders
A brief, not a CV
- Evidence you can check. One page you can read in a few minutes and forward to your lead engineer. Every claim cites the paper and quotes the sentence.
- Weaknesses stated up front. The caveats say what the candidate did not do themselves. We would rather you trust the rest.
- 25% of first-year base salary. Invoiced only once the hire clears probation.
- A twelve-month guarantee. If the hire leaves or is dismissed within a year, the unexpired part of the fee is credited against your next placement.
What a brief contains
It is called underwritten because we never claim a scientist can do something. We show the sentence in which they reported doing it.
- Verified primitives
- The physical skills the papers prove, grouped by area: cryogenics and vacuum, RF and microwave control, nanofabrication, optics and lasers, materials characterisation, and electronics and FPGA. Each comes with the sentence that proves it.
- Attribution
- Who did the bench work on each paper and who supervised it. We take it from the contribution statement where there is one and from the text where there is not. We never guess it from author order alone.
- Caveats
- What the candidate did not do themselves, such as a device fabricated elsewhere, a result that was simulated rather than measured, or a claim the paper does not fully support.
What OrbHop is not
The closest model is a talent agency: a small roster of scarce people, represented exclusively and introduced directly to the people who decide.
Not a job board
We do not post roles or collect applicants.
Not an auto-applier
We never send an application into an applicant-tracking queue.
Not a CV database
We do not sell search tools or candidate lists to recruiters.
Not volume
A small number of named people, each matched to a specific technical bottleneck.
Get in touch
hello@orbhop.comScientists: send a link to your arXiv author page or the paper you are proudest of, and tell us when your current position ends.
Hardware leaders: tell us which capability your roadmap is waiting on.