Ask HN: How to get a job as a compiler engineer?

I have a BS and MS in computer science and I have been working part-time on my PhD in compilers for four years now. My research is about attribute grammars. I love my PhD research topic, it's challenging, fun and novel but I don't see it being used for any practical applications. I teach basic compiler course part-time as an instructor at my university as well. I work full-time as a backend software engineer at Microsoft. My goal is to actually use the concepts I spent so much to learn in my PhD in my career. Where should I start? What tool/library/framework is a must know for a compiler engineer? What are the companies that do exciting stuff in compilers?

I appreciate any help. Thank you

> My research is about attribute grammars.

> My goal is to actually use the concepts I spent so much to learn in my PhD in my career.

Do you mean you're specifically looking for a job that lets you focus on the grammar/parsing of programming languages (possibly with attribute grammars in particular!)? Or do you mean front-end (or general) compiler development more generally? Because if you specifically want to apply research on parsing techniques, as much as I love that area and wish there was more interest in parsing, I dare say you're unlikely to find such businesses hiring for something like this specifically (unless there's some research institution working on projects like this), given it's not exactly a money-making opportunity. Though if you somehow think there might be such a job, I imagine the best people to ask would be PL faculty.

I'm no expert in this, but hardware companies like ARM will spend money to get compilers like C's and Rust's to work on their chips.

Maybe have a snoop around these types of firms?

You write that you currently work full time at Microsoft, a company with a large developer tools division that actively develops several language compilers. Have you reached out to managers in those groups to learn if they have (or could create) opportunities that match your interests?