Department
NIAR Engineering Design and Modification Team
Location
Wichita, KS-WSU McConnell
Job Description:
Since its inception in 1985, National Institute for Aviation
Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University has made a name for
itself as the most capable university-based aviation research
center in the United States, providing research, design, testing,
certification and training to the aviation manufacturing industry,
government agencies, educational entities and other clients that
can benefit from our services. NIAR is looking for a talented
Thermal Analysis Engineer to join our growing, innovative
computational aerodynamics team. This position will be an
independent contractor consulting as a Thermal Analysis Engineer to
support various diverse customer program efforts.
Essential Functions:
The individual in this position will contribute professionally to a
variety of challenging applications of Thermal Analysis to assist
the NIAR team in creating real world aircraft design efforts, while
ensuring the overall goals of the customer-specific programs are
achieved. The individual will:
- Perform Thermal design and analysis of manned/unmanned air
vehicles at conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design
maturities
Define thermal system architectures and material selection
strategies for vehicles operating in demanding flight
environments
Thermal analysis of flight vehicles using CFD, FEA, and
engineering methods
Material response modeling under combined thermal and
mechanical loads
Transient thermal analysis for time-varying mission
profiles
Ground test planning, execution, and analysis in specialized
thermal test facilities
Flight test planning, execution, and post-flight thermal data
analysis
Use first principles and MATLAB/Python models to inform design
decisions
Collaborate with aerodynamics, structures, electrical, and
systems engineers on integrated solutions
Validate simulation results against other computational
approaches, experimental data, and flight test measurements.
Document analysis methodologies, simulation parameters, and
results in technical reports and presentations.
Support the development and implementation of best practices
for simulation workflows.
Contribute to code verification and validation activities to
ensure simulation accuracy and reliability.
Qualifications/Minimum Requirements:
- Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical
engineering, or closely related field; or 5+ years of relevant
experience with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering,
mechanical engineering, or closely related field.
- In-depth understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and
high-temperature environments
- 5+ years of experience in aerospace thermal engineering on
aircraft, engine, or missile programs
- Experience with thermal-structural coupling
- Ground testing experience with thermal instrumentation and data
acquisition
- Strong programming skills in MATLAB, Python, or similar for
tool development
- Experience preparing formal documentation
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical capabilities
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a
collaborative team.
- Proven track record of technical documentation and
reporting.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with thermal analysis using Thermal Desktop or
ThermoAnalytics
- Proficiency with CFD code and automated grid refinement.
- Experience with hypersonic flow physics, including:
- High-temperature gas effects
- Chemical non-equilibrium
- Radiation heat transfer
- Ablation modeling
- Knowledge of uncertainty quantification and sensitivity
analysis techniques.
- Experience with automated workflow development and parametric
studies.
- Experience with multi-body and overset mesh generation and
CFD.
- CAD experience with 3D Experience, CATIA, or Siemens NX
- Experience using CFD (STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent) and/or FEA
thermal solvers
- Publications in peer-reviewed journals or conference
proceedings.
All services will be provided as an independent contractor,
pursuant to a Professional Services Agreement, which must be
executed prior to being assigned any work.