Human Performance Research Assistant (Engineer)

KBR Careers; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K match

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

AD&D

FSA

Disability Insurance

Paid Time Off

Flexible schedule

Job summary

KBR Johnson Space Center position in Houston focuses on enabling optimal human health and performance for EVA/spaceflight. The role supports engineering evaluations, hardware and software research, and multidisciplinary collaboration with NASA teams to advance space suit health, CO₂ exposure studies, and physiological modeling.

Responsibilities include coordinating studies, developing acquisition systems, and preparing study documentation while ensuring safety and data quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, physiology, or a related science field, plus approximately 5 years of experience
• Experience conducting human health and performance research, including physiological monitoring and/or kinematic analysis
• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident

Responsibilities

• Coordinate human research studies and engineering evaluations with study teams and stakeholders
• Support development of vehicle and space suit exploration atmospheres to mitigate decompression sickness
• Support CO₂ exposure evaluation, EVA/spacewalk physiology characterization, and computational models
• Prepare study documentation such as IRB protocols, test plans, TRR packages, and progress reports
• Design and maintain data acquisition systems; perform equipment setup, calibration, and monitoring

Skills

Biomedical engineering

Physiology research

Data acquisition

Kinematic analysis

US Citizenship/PR

Education

Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering/physiology

Tools

SolidWorks

ProE

MATLAB

Python

Job description

What You’ll Do

In this role, you will support the EVA and Environmental Physiology Lab (EEPL), which focuses on enabling optimal human health, physiology, and performance in preparation for and during Extravehicular Activities (EVA)/spacewalk. You will contribute to engineering and human research efforts that develop, evaluate, and transition space suit health and performance capabilities, as well as new hardware and technologies required to support upcoming missions. Your primary interfaces will span the NASA Human Health and Performance Directorate, human research study teams, human systems engineering, flight and medical operations, crewmembers, and human test subjects.

• Coordinate human research studies and engineering evaluations, including scheduling and integration with study teams and stakeholders
• Support of development and research of vehicle and space suit exploration atmospheres to mitigate decompression sickness
• Support CO₂ exposure evaluation, EVA/spacewalk physiological characterization, and development of computational models
• Implement research activities defined in strategic roadmaps
• Prepare study documentation such as IRB protocols, test plans, TRR packages, and progress reports
• Design and maintain data acquisition systems
• Perform equipment setup, calibration, and monitoring for tests and evaluations
• Monitor human subjects and collect physiological data during research studies and/or operational training, including at analog and field locations
• Perform other duties as assigned

You Bring

You bring experience supporting research, engineering evaluations, or operational activities in human performance or engineering environments. You use your experience and judgment to coordinate complex studies, ensure data quality, maintain safety standards, and communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams. You comply with KBR’s Safety, Health and Environmental Plan, Quality Plan, and all safety policies and procedures, and complete all assigned training.

Your Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, physiology, or a related science field, plus approximately 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of graduate education and experience
• Experience conducting human health and performance research, including physiological monitoring and/or kinematic analysis
• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident

Desired:

• Master’s degree in biomedical engineering, physiology, or a related science field
• Experience evaluating hardware such as wearable sensors or other health‑related equipment
• Experience implementing operational studies evaluating human performance and human‑system interactions, especially related to spaceflight

Your Skills

Required:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to support multiple projects with minimal oversight
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including formal and informal presentations
• Proficiency with standard PC and Microsoft Office tools

Desired:

• Experience with implementing human subject research
• Ability to critically analyze data and perform statistical analysis
• Experience with spaceflight analogs and/or simulations
• Experience preparing technical reports
• Experience with bioinstrumentation and data acquisition systems
• Experience with CAD and modeling tools (SolidWorks, ProE, Blender, Polyworks)
• Experience with MATLAB, R, Python, or equivalent programming tools

What to Expect

This position is expected to be 100% on site and 100% in person. Occasional travel may be required.

Location

NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX.

KBR Benefits

• 401K plan with company match
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life insurance
• AD&D
• Flexible spending account
• Disability
• Paid time off
• Flexible work schedule

Company Culture

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to an ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

Equal Opportunity Employer

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

About KBR

KBR — Delivering Solutions, Changing the World. KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives. In everything we do, we are guided by our ONE KBR VALUES: We Value Our People – We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential. We Deliver – We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology‑led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders. We Are People of Integrity – We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business. We Empower – We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision‑makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed. We Are a Team of Teams – We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company. We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals. Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. At KBR, We Deliver.