Staff Engineer

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics has an outstanding opportunity for a research scientist/engineer 1 to join their team. Reporting to the Lead Test Engineer at the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL), the research scientist/engineer 1 application assistance and services to wind tunnel customers. The Staff Engineer implements and supports scientific instrumentation and data acquisition for wind tunnel testing. A person in this position works alongside other wind tunnel staff to apply engineering best practices to maintain and develop the facility, and solve technical problems inherent in wind tunnel testing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical/Mechanical Engineering or other applicable field and one year of experience with aerodynamics and/or wind tunnel type testing.
Must be a United States Citizen, due to frequent access to technology covered by Federal export control and ITAR regulations.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Demonstrated critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
Demonstrated ability to work alone and as part of an engineering team.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with wind tunnel testing techniques (force balance measurements, surface pressure measurements, flow visualization, ground plane testing, wake surveys, etc).
Proficiency in at least one of the following: MATLAB, Python, C++, VisualBasic.
Proficiency with Solidworks, NX, CATIA, or another equivalent CAD software.
Familiarity with drafting, tolerances, and machining or fabricating components.
Knowledge of, and experience with, electrical and electronics principles and the ability to apply those principles using oscilloscopes, multimeters, data acquisition equipment, frequency counters, signal generators, and similar test equipment.
Proficiency with LabVIEW & National Instruments products, includes implementing, developing & testing code.
Experience with acquiring analog or digital sensor signals.
Experience integrating hardware, electronics, and software into a cohesive system that either takes command input or measures system outputs, or both.
Proficiency with electronics, circuit design, and soldering.
Understanding and implementation of export controls and ITAR.
Experience utilizing NASA, NAS, MIL, ASME, or other relevant aerospace standardized methodologies in design of components or process planning.
Knowledge of, and experience with, software development.
Knowledge of, and experience with, science experimentation products such as lasers, optics, pressure gauges, flow control devices, actuators, servo motors, transducers, and accelerometers.
Experience working with students.

Responsibilities

Support the operations of the wind tunnel for internal and external client tests.
Support the preparation tasks for client wind tunnel tests, including but not limited to the preparation of instrumentation, mechanical design, or test plan development.
Process and reduce experimental data sets for clients, including data quality control.
Provide professional customer service through effective and courteous interactions with clients, colleagues and the campus community.
Produce written reports for wind tunnel clients in a timely manner, as needed.
Interact with wind tunnel customers to determine test needs, specifications, and scope of data collection.
Train and monitor student crew to handle, install, and adjust wind tunnel models.
Monitor data quality and accuracy during testing and in post-processing, including the implementation of standard data correction methods, model setup, maintenance, and scale effects that influence data accuracy.
Develop, maintain, and improve wind tunnel acquisition systems including hardware DAQ and software in MATLAB, Python, C++, and/or Visual Basic.
Schedule, perform (as appropriate), and calculate metrics for sensor calibrations for test instrumentation.
Assist with regular tunnel flow quality assessments to ensure tunnel consistency with historical data.
Assist with the long-term maintenance, characterization, and operation of key tunnel hardware, including power/fans and force balances.
Write and maintain documentation on test instrumentation/procedures, tunnel flow quality metrics, testing safety.
Plan integration and sunset of sensor packages and write documentation supporting transitions of methodology.
Coordinate with department IT personnel to implement, troubleshoot, and maintain local computer networks, Windows domains, Active Directory, group policies, various file servers, and backup appliances.
Document service and design specifications using CAD, wiring schematics, circuits, diagrams, illustrations and written instructions.
Secure and follow standards and procedures to ensure safety and security (CUI/ITAR) in all aspects of the operation of UWAL.