2027 Graduate - Aerospace Modeling & Systems Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Our team works on some of the nation's most challenging defense problems. We study advanced air and missile systems—including cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles and autonomous aerial systems —to understand how they work, what they're capable of, and how new technologies could be used to defend against them. You'll bring the engineering, science, mathematics, or computing skills you've developed in school. We'll help you learn how to apply those skills to real-world defense problems. Depending on your background, that could mean using physics to simulate how a missile flies, writing software to simulate a system, analyzing data to figure out limits of a system's performance, or bringing multiple simulations together to understand how an entire engagement might unfold. We want engineers and scientists who enjoy digging into a problem, questioning assumptions, learning unfamiliar technical subjects, and working with others to turn analysis into useful engineering insight. You'll join a multi-functional team that will help you develop both technical depth and a broader understanding of how different engineering subject areas come together to solve problems.

Requirements

Have, or will soon complete, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field
Have experience using at least one programming or computational language such as MATLAB, Python, C/C++, Java, Rust, or similar
Have strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills
Enjoy learning how complex physical or engineered systems work
Can communicate technical ideas and results effectively in both written and verbal settings
Enjoy collaborating with engineers and scientists from different technical backgrounds
Are able to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Have coursework, research, internship, capstone, or project experience involving modeling and simulation, aerospace systems, robotics, controls, physics-based modeling, or systems engineering
Have experience with flight mechanics, aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), estimation, controls, or related aerospace disciplines
Have developed mathematical or physics-based models of real-world systems
Have experience simulating the kinematic or dynamic performance of aerospace vehicles or other complex physical systems
Have used MATLAB, Python, C/C++, or similar tools for simulation, data analysis, or scientific computing
Have experience developing software or simulation tools as part of a technical project
Have experience analyzing data and using it to validate, refine, or challenge a model
Have participated in multidisciplinary technical projects involving software, hardware, modeling, experimentation, or systems analysis
Have academic, research, internship, or professional exposure to missile systems, defense technologies, or related technical areas
Currently hold, or are able to obtain, a Top Secret or TS/SCI level security clearance

Responsibilities

Develop and use physics-based simulations to understand the performance of aerospace and missile systems
Analyze cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles, autonomous aerial systems, and other systems to understand their capabilities and limitations
Use engineering analysis, modeling, simulation, software, and data to answer questions about system performance
Compare simulated predictions with data and continually improve the quality and usefulness of our products
Learn how systems operate well enough to identify performance characteristics, limitations, and vulnerabilities
Analyze how emerging defense technologies could perform against threats
Help develop and evaluate concepts for defending against those systems
Work with our team and across APL to connect our work into a larger system-level understanding
Clearly communicate technical results, assumptions, uncertainties, and conclusions to teammates, technical leaders, programs, and sponsors
Participate in reviews, experiments, test events, and other activities that connect analytical work to real-world engineering problems