Airbreathing Propulsion Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Are you interested in developing the skills needed to solve challenging hypersonic propulsion problems? If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL. We are seeking an Aerospace Propulsion Engineer with strong technical fundamentals and an interest in scramjet propulsion and high-fidelity modeling. You will work with experienced engineers to design, analyze, and evaluate advanced hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems supporting U.S. Department of Defense programs. We are looking for someone who is curious, learns quickly, questions assumptions, and wants to understand why a result occurs rather than simply following an established process.

Requirements

Possess a bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
Have a strong foundation in fluid mechanics, compressible flow, thermodynamics, combustion, numerical methods, or CFD.
Have applied computational methods through employment, research, internships, laboratory work, or substantial academic projects.
Have familiarity with CFD, including meshes, boundary conditions, numerical methods, and physical models.
Have an interest in scramjet, dual-mode ramjet, or other high-speed propulsion systems.
Have basic experience with Linux and a programming or scripting language such as Python, MATLAB, C++, or Fortran.
Can work through unfamiliar problems, ask productive questions, and assess whether an answer is physically credible.
Possess strong written and oral communication skills.
Are motivated to learn and can work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Are able to obtain an Interim Secret clearance by your start date and ultimately obtain a Secret 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

Possess a master’s degree focused on propulsion, combustion, compressible flow, hypersonics, or CFD.
Have one to three years of relevant professional, internship, or research experience.
Have worked on scramjets, ramjets, rocket propulsion, reacting flows, or high-speed aerodynamics.
Have applied CFD to compressible or reacting flows using finite-rate chemistry.
Have performed mesh-refinement, sensitivity, verification, or validation studies.
Have compared computational results with experimental or analytical data.
Have introductory experience with LES, hybrid RANS/LES, high-performance computing, or automated simulation workflows.
Have experience with relevant CFD, meshing, post-processing, or combustion-analysis tools.
Have an active Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Support the design and analysis of scramjet inlet, isolator, combustor, and nozzle flowpaths.
Apply CFD to compressible and reacting-flow problems.
Create and evaluate computational meshes for internal-flow and integrated-vehicle geometries.
Execute and post-process simulations using finite-rate chemistry and appropriate physical models.
Examine mesh sensitivity, numerical convergence, boundary conditions, and modeling assumptions.
Compare computational results with experimental data, analytical results, and engineering models.
Investigate unexpected results and develop possible physical explanations.
Build scripts and workflows for simulation setup, data processing, and visualization.
Document and present your methods, assumptions, results, and conclusions.
Take increasing ownership of technical problems as your experience develops.