Turbomachinery Aerodynamicist

Karman Industries•Los Angeles, CA

7d•$125,000 - $225,000•Onsite

About The Position

Karman Industries is seeking a highly skilled Turbomachinery Aerodynamicist to join our talented engineering team in Long Beach, CA. This role focuses on aerodynamic design, analysis, and performance modeling of centrifugal impellers and associated components (diffusers, seals, etc.) for high-speed turbomachinery systems. The ideal candidate has experience designing state-of-the-art compression and expansion stages, with a strong foundation in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, expertise in CFD analysis, and experience developing 1D mean-line performance models in modern programming environments, including surge and stall margin prediction.

Requirements

Bachelor's in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or related field); M.S. or Ph.D. preferred
Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, especially compressible flow
Experience with design, analysis, and performance map modeling of centrifugal compressors in high-speed turbomachinery
Ability to write 1D mean-line performance models in modern programming languages and integrate third party APIs and libraries
Proficient with CFD tools (ANSYS CFX preferred) and CAD (NX preferred)
3+ years in turbomachinery aerodynamic design

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with multi-stage compressor systems and system-level simulation and integration
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a first-principles, physics-based approach
Ability to interpret complex flow fields and system-level interactions
Excellent communication skills and ability to work cross-functionally
Familiarity designing compression or expansion systems with supercritical or transcritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid

Responsibilities

Design and optimize compressor impellers, diffusers, and related flow paths to meet performance and operating range targets
Perform CFD simulations for steady/unsteady flow
Develop and maintain 1D mean-line performance models
Automate performance evaluation and design optimization workflows
Support testing to validate aerodynamic and mechanical performance
Correlate experimental results with analytical predictions to continuously improve design tools and modeling processes for improved accuracy and efficiency
Work closely with the mechanical design team to ensure structural integrity and manufacturability of impeller and associated components
Work in a collaborative environment to ensure a stable codebase using Git workflows