Research Engineer/Assistant (Environmental and Thermal Sensing) 1

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 67,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore is seeking a Research Engineer to lead the design, build, calibration, and field validation of environmental sensing payloads for urban thermal monitoring. You will work closely with Principal Investigator and researchers to deploy hardware and validate performance in test-bed sites in Singapore.

The role emphasizes hands-on hardware, heat transfer knowledge, Python data processing, and strong documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Engineering Science, Building or Environmental Science, Physics, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience building hardware prototypes.
• Knowledge of heat transfer, thermal measurement, and environmental sensing.
• Python-based data processing for sensor data acquisition, cleaning and visualization.
• Strong documentation practices and calibration record keeping.
• Willingness to conduct outdoor fieldwork in Singapore.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Deploy the sensing payload in field test sites across Singapore.
• Prepare georeferenced, time-synchronised datasets with good documentation.
• Support QA/QC and assist with data analysis and visualization of thermal patterns.
• Interpret measurement results related to urban heat island effects and platform performance; contribute to figures, tables, maps, and reports.
• Contribute to technical documentation on hardware design, calibration protocols, and sensor integration.
• Contribute to research outputs, technical reports, and academic publications.

Skills

Hardware prototyping

Python data processing

Documentation

Independent work

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in engineering/related field

Tools

Rhino/Grasshopper

Fusion 360

SolidWorks

PCB design

Job description

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.