Applied Aerodynamicist Intern (Summer 2025)
$79,040 - $87,360/Yr
Zipline International - San Francisco, CA
posted about 2 months ago
Full-time - Intern
San Francisco, CA
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
About the position
The Applied Aerodynamicist Intern position at Zipline offers a unique opportunity for students to engage in meaningful work that contributes to the company's mission of transforming logistics through autonomous delivery drones. Interns will collaborate with experienced aerodynamicists and engineers, applying their academic knowledge in a practical setting while gaining valuable real-world skills.
Responsibilities
- Vehicle design analysis including aerodynamics, propulsion, and power system performance.
- Low- and high-fidelity analytical modeling of vehicle subsystems and behaviors.
- Aerodynamic database generation and building analysis of flight behaviors.
- Experiment planning, execution and data analysis, from wind tunnels to flight tests.
- Support multidisciplinary team including controls, mechanical, production, software, and electrical engineers to tackle design challenges and resolve time-sensitive issues.
Requirements
- Studying fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, flight physics, aeronautical engineering, or acoustics.
- Strong understanding of technical content in relevant courses.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with aerodynamic modeling codes such as XFOIL, MSES, AVL, ASWING, XROTOR, BEMT, XFLR5, RCAS, and/or OpenVSP.
- Familiarity with computational fluid dynamics tools like STAR-CCM+, Fluent, OpenFOAM, or PowerFLOW.
- Experience with wind tunnel testing and data analysis techniques.
- Knowledge of flight test planning and execution.
- Proficiency in programming languages such as MATLAB, Python, Julia, C/C++.
- Experience with CAD tools like CATIA or NX.
Benefits
- Overtime pay
- Commuter benefits
- Paid sick time
