Research Associate-Fixed Term
About The Position
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University has an opening for a postdoctoral research associate with an anticipated start date in Spring 2026 in the area of experimental studies of gas-cooled plasma-facing components in fusion technology under the direction of Dr. Minami Yoda. The primary responsibilities of the position will be to reassemble and upgrade a high-pressure and high-temperature helium flow loop (maximum flowrate 100 g/s) and use this facility to study helium-cooled tungsten divertor concepts at nearly prototypical temperatures (maximum 450 °C) and prototypical pressures (about 10 MPa). Applicants must have a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering or a related field, an outstanding academic record, and the ability to supervise external contractors and work with Ph.D. students.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a related field
Nice To Haves
- An outstanding academic record and the ability to both supervise external contractors and work with Ph.D. students.
- Fundamental knowledge of fluid mechanics and heat transfer
- Hands-on experience designing, building, and debugging experimental facilities for studying pressurized and heated gas flows
- Design and implementation of experiments in high-temperature gas flows, including safety considerations
- Using and developing data acquisition and signal processing software (LabVIEW, MATLAB, etc.), mainly for temperature and pressure data.
- Some familiarity with magnetic fusion energy
Responsibilities
- Reassemble and upgrade a high-pressure and high-temperature helium flow loop (maximum flowrate 100 g/s)
- Use facility to study helium-cooled tungsten divertor concepts at nearly prototypical temperatures (maximum 450 °C) and prototypical pressures (about 10 MPa)
- Supervise external contractors
- Work with Ph.D. students
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Industry
Educational Services
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
