2027 Graduate – Hypersonics Thermal and Structural Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory • Laurel, MD

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About The Position

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is hiring a 2027 graduate for its Vehicle Design and Technologies Group. The role contributes thermal and structural expertise to multidisciplinary vehicle design work, applying research to conceptualize, design, analyze, and prototype advanced vehicles and weapons for national and warfighter needs. Work may span vehicle flow regimes from subsonic to hypersonic and involve hypersonic re-entry vehicles and supersonic or hypersonic air-breathing concepts. The position also supports ground testing and the development and improvement of high-fidelity models.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
• Practical experience in thermal or structural finite element analysis (FEA).
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to obtain Interim Secret security clearance by the start date and ultimately obtain Top Secret clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for eligibility to access classified information.

Nice To Haves

• Internship experience in the aerospace industry designing or evaluating vehicle performance.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform multi-fidelity thermal and structural analyses using commercial and in-house software to support vehicle aerothermal and structural design across flow regimes from subsonic to hypersonic.
• Predict and model material and structural responses for air-vehicle configurations, including hypersonic re-entry vehicles and supersonic and hypersonic air-breathing concepts.
• Plan and execute ground tests and design models for wind tunnel and arcjet facilities.
• Conduct pre-test and post-test analyses to validate numerical predictions, then create and improve high-fidelity models.
• Design conceptual vehicles and perform detailed multidisciplinary system analyses, including integration with launch platforms.

Benefits

• Robust education assistance program.
• Retirement contributions.
• Work/life balance.
• Retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development.
• Potential sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level