Research Project Engineer

CP11 University of New Hampshire; Durham (NH); On-site; USD 55,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of New Hampshire's Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) invites applications for a Research Project Engineer to advance R&D on marine energy and to operate the AMEC tidal test facilities, collaborating with OSTEC and national laboratories.

You will deploy and test devices in open water, oversee the Tidal Energy Test Site, contribute to model validation and instrumentation, manage documentation and reporting, and support accreditation efforts under IEC standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field, and five years of related experience.
• Experience in R&D environments, instrumentation/ocean instrumentation; strong CAD, LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB skills.

Responsibilities

• Deployment and open-water testing of marine energy devices, including OSTEC at the UNH tidal test site.
• Design, modification, and deployment of marine energy devices; instrumentation and data acquisition setup.
• Technical writing and reporting; collaboration with national labs and OSTEC partners.
• Support accreditation efforts for UNH tidal energy test site under IEC standards.
• Meetings with sponsors and travel as needed.

Skills

Ocean engineering

R&D

Instrumentation

SolidWorks

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

Communication

Field work

Data acquisition

Education

Bachelor’s degree in ocean/mechanical engineering or related field

Tools

NI LabVIEW

MATLAB

Python

CAD/ SolidWorks

MS Office

Job description

The Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) is inviting applications for a Research Project Engineer to work closely with the AMEC team on research and development relevant to marine energy and to providing research capabilities and access to test facilities. Specifically, the successful candidate will support and facilitate the design, modification, and deployment of marine energy devices in an open-water environment and will coordinate, manage, and maintain AMEC’s Tidal Energy Test Site. They will work with the Open-Source Tidal Energy Converter (OSTEC) team and National Laboratory partners on deploying and testing the OSTEC Turbine, and facilitate follow-on R&D projects. Support IEC/ISO accreditation of AMEC open water test sites. Collaborate with marine energy and blue economy industry across a broad range of technologies and cross-cutting R&D topics. The Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) is a National Marine Energy Center (NMEC) university supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). AMEC plays a critical role in conducting marine energy research and development (R&D) and providing key testing infrastructure to the marine energy industry. AMEC is led by the University of New Hampshire, with partner universities Stony Brook University, Lehigh University and the Coastal Studies Institute. AMEC collaborators include the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Sandia National Laboratories, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Duties / Responsibilities

• (50%) Deployment and open-water testing of marine energy devices, including deployment and testing of the Open-Source Tidal Energy Converter (OSTEC) at the AMEC-UNH Tidal Energy Test Site in Portsmouth, NH.
• This includes installation, commissioning, operation, and troubleshooting of marine energy conversion devices.
• Support the design and modification of marine energy devices, including the Open-Source Tidal Energy Converter (OSTEC).
• Develop and implement instrumentation strategies, including sensor layout, integration, and data acquisition of marine energy devices.
• Collaborate effectively with partner institutions, including universities and national laboratories.
• Contribute to model validation efforts, comparing field testing results with numerical models.
• (30%) Technical writing and technical communication.
• Preparation of reports and records on project activities, progress, and events.
• Documentation of procedure, decision-making processes and planning for the design, manufacturing, construction, testing and deployment of the OSTEC turbine, and project-specific modifications.
• Development of Standard Operating Procedures, Test Plans Reporting to sponsors and collaborators.
• Contributions to accreditation for UNH tidal energy test site to conduct testing under IEC TC 114 Marine Energy Standards.
• Meetings with sponsors, which may require travel.
• (20%) Technical support of research and development relevant to marine energy on sponsored research projects, under the direction of the project P.I.
• This includes, but is not limited to, work on Milestones and Deliverables on existing Statements of Project Objectives (SOPO) developed by the AMEC team in close collaboration with DOE hydropower and hydrokinetic (H2O) Office.
• Collaboration with U.S. National Laboratories (NREL, SNL, PNNL), AMEC partner institutions and industry on marine energy research and testing.

Requirements

• Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field, and five years of related experience.
• Experience with R&D environment, instrumentation/ocean instrumentation Knowledge of SolidWorks/CAD software, MS Office, NI LabVIEW, Python, MatLab Strong, interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• Required Licenses & Certifications: Driver's License Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Experience supporting or leading field work in a marine environment Experience designing, installing, and testing marine energy devices (wave energy converters, tidal energy converts, etc.) Experience designing, building, and integrating data acquisition systems Effective oral and written communication skills Knowledge of strain measurement techniques and structural health monitoring Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work both independently and in a team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced engineering degree
• Proficiency with NI LabVIEW, Matlab, Python
• Experience working on open water and operating boats
• Experience working with sponsored research reporting and tracking systems

Location

Location: Durham

Compensation

Pay Range: $54,990.00 - $98,150.00

Benefits

More information on benefits can be found here: USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

University Information

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.