Research Engineer/Assistant (Environmental and Thermal Sensing)

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore (Kent Ridge Campus) seeks a Research Engineer/Assistant to lead the design, build, calibration, and field validation of environmental sensing payloads for urban thermal monitoring. You will collaborate with PIs and researchers on hardware prototyping and data handling across test-bed sites.

The role emphasizes hands-on hardware work, outdoor field campaigns in Singapore, and producing technical documentation and visualizations for stakeholder updates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with strong hardware and instrumentation component.
• Hands-on experience building and testing hardware prototypes.
• Data processing and scripting skills in Python for sensor data acquisition and analysis.
• Good documentation practices for hardware records and calibration.

Responsibilities

• Deploy the sensing payload at test-bed sites and ensure data quality.
• Assist in calibration, validation, and data visualization of thermal patterns.
• Prepare figures, maps, and technical summaries for project meetings and reports.
• Contribute to hardware design documentation and sensor integration protocols.

Skills

Hardware prototyping

Python scripting

Data processing

Documentation

Fieldwork

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant field

Tools

Rhino/Grasshopper

Fusion 360

SolidWorks

Job description

Research Engineer/Assistant (Environmental and Thermal Sensing)

University-level Unit: College of Design and Engineering

Faculty/Department-level Unit: The Built Environment

Employee Category: Research Staff

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Posted On: 30/06/2026

Job Description

For high-resolution urban thermal monitoring and early warning across test-bed sites. Working closely with the Principal Investigator and Research Fellows, the Research Engineer will lead the design, build, calibration, and field validation of the environmental sensing payload and its supporting hardware sub-systems. This role is suited to candidates with a strong hardware, instrumentation, and prototyping background who are interested in environmental sensing, thermal measurement, and autonomous sensing platforms for the urban environment.

Field Deployment, Calibration and Validation

• Deploy the sensing payload


• Prepare clean, georeferenced, time-synchronised, and well-documented datasets


• Support quality assurance and quality control of collected data, and assist with analysis and visualisation of thermal patterns, including temporal trends, spatial variation, and site comparisons

Research Support and Project Deliverables

• Support the interpretation of measurement results in relation to urban heat island effects, microclimate variation, and platform and sensor performance


• Assist in preparing figures, tables, maps, technical summaries, and presentation materials for project meetings, reports, and stakeholder updates


• Contribute to technical documentation related to hardware design, calibration protocols, sensor integration, and environmental sensing methods


• Contribute to research outputs, technical reports, technology disclosures, and academic publications arising from the project

Job Requirements

Essential

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Engineering Science, Building or Environmental Science, Physics, or a related field with a strong hardware and instrumentation component


• Hands‑on experience building and testing hardware prototypes


• Working understanding of heat transfer, thermal measurement, and/or thermoelectric principles relevant to environmental sensing and payload thermal management


• Data‑processing and scripting skills in Python (or similar) for sensor data acquisition, cleaning, and visualisation


• Good organisational skills and attention to detail in hardware documentation, calibration records, and research workflow


• Willingness to conduct outdoor fieldwork in Singapore as part of sensor deployment and validation campaigns


• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a research team


• Good written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

• Experience with thermoelectric materials, energy harvesting, heat‑sink design, or optical/solar concentration (e.g., Fresnel lens) systems


• Experience with environmental sensors, weather stations, thermal/IR imaging, GPS, or other field‑measurement instruments and their calibration


• CAD and design skills (e.g., Rhino/Grasshopper, Fusion 360, SolidWorks) for enclosure, mounting, and sub‑system prototyping


• Familiarity with embedded systems, PCB design, or sensor‑fusion techniques would be advantageous


• Hardware project experience would be advantageous