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.

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
Focus or coursework in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, or thermal systems required
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