Junior Thermal Research Engineer

Boyd • Fredericksburg, VA

52d • Onsite

About The Position

The Junior Thermal Research Engineer will work within a multidisciplinary engineering team to develop innovative thermal management and test solutions for high-performance electronics and data center systems. The role combines thermal system design, modeling, experimentation, and data science techniques, with a focus on enabling faster design cycles and improved system-level insight.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Must be currently located in the United States.
• Focus or coursework in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, or thermal systems required

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to data center cooling or high-performance electronics thermal management
• Experience developing reduced-order or surrogate models for thermal systems
• Familiarity with optimization-driven design workflows
• Experience integrating modeling and experimental validation
• Laboratory experience
• Graduate research experience in thermal-fluid sciences or cooling technologies strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Support the design and development of thermal management systems, including liquid cooling, two-phase cooling, and heat exchanger-based architectures
• Cooling system design including cold plates, cooling distribution units (CDUs) and passive two-phase solutions (heat pipes and vapor chambers)
• Develop and apply thermal-fluid modeling tools (steady-state and transient) for system-level performance prediction, including pressure drop, heat transfer, and coolant distribution
• Implement and use machine learning, AI and data-driven methods
• Support data center cooling system modeling, including rack-level and component-level thermal architecture analysis
• Conduct design of experiments (DOE) and support experimental testing, including instrumentation, data acquisition, and validation of models
• Create and maintain CAD models and engineering documentation (e.g., SolidWorks designs, P&IDs, drawings, and test plans)
• Assist in development of computational tools and simulation frameworks (Python, MATLAB) to support engineering decision-making and research activities
• Support prototype development and testbed construction, including integration of thermal systems and measurement capabilities
• Collaborate with senior engineers and researchers to: Evaluate new cooling technologies, Improve system efficiency and performance, Identify key design tradeoffs
• Contribute to technical documentation, reports, and presentations of results
• Support component and material selection for thermal systems (heat exchangers, sensors, cooling loops)
• Assist in manufacturing and assembly support, including prototype builds and testing

Benefits

• Relocation may be offered for the role

What This Job Offers

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