Hypersonic Propulsion Engineer (Scramjet CFD & Modeling)

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is seeking an Aerospace Propulsion Engineer to advance hypersonic propulsion research. You will work with seasoned engineers to design, analyze, and evaluate scramjet propulsion systems for DoD programs, applying CFD, scripting, and high-fidelity modeling.

You should be curious, learn quickly, and question assumptions to understand why results occur.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Strong foundation in fluid mechanics, compressible flow, thermodynamics, combustion, numerical methods, or CFD.
• Applied computational methods through employment, research, internships, laboratory work, or substantial academic projects.
• Familiarity with CFD, including meshes, boundary conditions, numerical methods, and physical models.
• Interest in scramjet, dual-mode ramjet, or other high-speed propulsion systems.
• Basic experience with Linux and a programming or scripting language such as Python, MATLAB, C++, or Fortran.
• Ability to work through unfamiliar problems, ask productive questions, and assess physical credibility.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Motivation to learn and work independently and in multidisciplinary teams.
• Eligibility for Interim Secret clearance by start date and Secret clearance eventually; US citizenship.

Responsibilities

• Support design and analysis of scramjet inlet, isolator, combustor, and nozzle flowpaths.
• Apply CFD to compressible and reacting-flow problems.
• Create and evaluate computational meshes for internal-flow and integrated-vehicle geometries.
• Execute and post-process simulations using finite-rate chemistry and appropriate physical models.
• Examine mesh sensitivity, numerical convergence, boundary conditions, and modeling assumptions.
• Compare computational results with experimental data, analytical results, and engineering models.
• Investigate unexpected results and develop physical explanations.
• Build scripts and workflows for simulation setup, data processing, and visualization.
• Document and present methods, assumptions, results, and conclusions.
• Take increasing ownership of technical problems as experience develops.

Skills

Fluid mechanics

Compressible flow

Thermodynamics

Combustion

Numerical methods

CFD

Written and oral communication

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Linux

Python

MATLAB

C++

Fortran

Job description

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is seeking an Aerospace Propulsion Engineer to advance hypersonic propulsion research. You will work with seasoned engineers to design, analyze, and evaluate scramjet propulsion systems for DoD programs, applying CFD, scripting, and high-fidelity modeling.

You should be curious, learn quickly, and question assumptions to understand why results occur.