Research Engineer - Joining CAE

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Materials, Process, Structures & Safety organization within Ford Research & Advanced Engineering is seeking an employee to work in the Advanced Joining Research Department. The team delivers novel mechanical, thermal, and chemical joining solutions to reduce cost, improve quality, and enable Ford vehicle architectures and powertrains. The department comprises a multidisciplinary team of mechanical and materials engineers, adhesive and welding specialists, computer scientists, and laboratory technicians. When new joining processes are developed, robust execution in design is critical. Implementing new joining technologies or changing from one joining technology to another requires accurate reliable models to predict the joint behavior in-vehicle. Models are critical to enable design efficiency (right joining technology in the right location) and reduce design verification iterations (testing and timing). This position will develop models and simulation of performance for joints to support analytical sign-off of components and vehicles.

Requirements

• B.S. in Materials Science / Mechanical Engineering / Welding Engineering / Computer Science or in a related discipline
• 3+ years of CAE modeling or joining simulation experience
• Experience in mechanical, thermal or chemical joining technologies
• Demonstrated capability in data analysis and documentation of results
• Self-starter with ability to handle complex assignments
• Exemplary written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and capability to excel on cross-functional teams
• Passion for innovation

Nice To Haves

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Computer Science, or a related physical science field of study
• 5+ years' experience in finite element methods, connection modeling and joining of metals
• Demonstrated capability in research or advanced development, including gap analyses and literature reviews, experimental scoping and design, joining modeling and simulation, analysis and documentation of results
• Experience with automotive body construction methods
• Experience in mechanical testing and metallurgical sample preparation and analysis
• Proficiency with statistical analysis packages
• Plant and/or laboratory experience

Responsibilities

• Develop fundamental CAE models of automotive joints produced via novel mechanical, thermal, and chemical joining processes to enable robust simulation of component and full-vehicle attributes.
• Design experiments, conduct joining trials and correlation experiments, characterize mechanical and metallurgical properties of joints and materials, and perform statistical analyses to develop and optimize joining performance models and determine key inputs.
• Conduct sensitivity analyses to determine impact of imperfections on joint attributes.
• Work cross-functionally with other materials simulation experts to integrate material cards and models into safety CAE for different joining technologies.
• Pursue a balanced portfolio of long-term research and shorter-term development.
• Conduct gap analyses and evaluate business case for new models.
• Collaborate with stakeholders in Product Development, suppliers and IT to develop and implement advanced joining models and make improvements.
• Benchmark competitor models and simulations for joining performance.
• Develop test methods; support engineering specification and design guideline development.
• Identify and implement novel process improvements and protect intellectual property.
• Document findings via oral presentations and written technical reports.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

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