Thermal Design Engineer

Roboticsconnected; Iowa; On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Mind Robotics is seeking a Thermal Design Engineer to own the thermal architecture for its industrial robots, from high-torque actuators to on-board compute. You will build high-fidelity CFD/FEA models and validate them with hands-on testing, environmental stress, and hardware instrumentation.

You will design scalable cooling solutions and collaborate with electrical, firmware, and controls teams, driving DFM/DFA to scale prototypes to volume production.

Qualifications

• 5+ years designing and validating thermal solutions for electromechanical systems.
• Strong fundamentals in conduction, convection, and radiation; knowledge of two-phase cooling.
• Hands-on CFD tools experience (Ansys Icepak, Flotherm, SolidWorks Flow Simulation).
• Track record solving thermal problems in motors/actuators, power electronics, or compute.
• Proficient with CAD tools (SolidWorks/Catia) and fast iteration.

Responsibilities

• Own thermal design and analysis across the robot from concept through volume production.
• Develop thermal architectures for high-torque-density actuators in joints.
• Design cooling solutions for end effectors within tight constraints.
• Develop thermal management for on-board compute (CPUs/GPUs/accelerators).
• Build thermal models (analytical, CFD, FEA) and validate with tests.
• Specify and select thermal components and manage supplier relationships.
• Define thermal limits, derating curves, and protection logic.
• Contribute to DFM/DFA to scale prototypes to high-volume production.
• Develop accelerated test plans for thermal performance over lifetime.

Skills

Thermal design

CFD/FEA tools

Thermal instrumentation

CAD proficiency

DFM/DFA

Ambiguity tolerance

Two-phase cooling

Problem-solving

Tools

Ansys Icepak

Flotherm

SolidWorks Flow Simulation

SolidWorks

Catia

Job description

ABOUT MIND

Mind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands- on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems. Join us if you want to move beyond digital intelligence and put intelligence into motion.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Thermal Design Engineer at Mind Robotics, you will own the thermal architecture and analysis for our industrial robots, from high-torque actuators and constrained end effectors to dense on-board compute. You will build high-fidelity CFD/FEA models and validate them through hands- on testing, environmental stress, and hardware instrumentation. Working from concept through volume production, you will design scalable cooling solutions like heat sinks, vapor chambers, and TIMs using manufacturing processes like die casting and extrusion. Collaborating closely with electrical, firmware, and controls teams, you will turn complex thermal challenges into high-performance, real-world Physical AI systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own thermal design and analysis across the robot including arms, end effectors, and on-board compute from concept through volume production.
• Develop thermal architectures for high-torque-density actuators (motors, gearboxes, drives) in joints, where heat dissipation is the limiting factor on continuous performance.
• Design cooling solutions for end effectors within tight volume, mass, and cable-routing constraints.
• Develop thermal management for on-board compute (CPUs, GPUs, custom accelerators, power electronics), including airflow, heat sinks, heat pipes, vapor chambers, TIMs, and active cooling where needed.
• Build thermal models (analytical, CFD, FEA) and validate them with hands- on testing (thermocouple instrumentation, IR imaging, calorimetry, and accelerated stress tests)
• Specify and select thermal components (TIMs, fans, heat pipes, heat sinks, blowers, phase-change materials) and own supplier relationships.
• Define thermal limits, derating curves, and protection logic in collaboration with electrical, firmware, and controls teams.
• Contribute to DFM/DFA so thermal solutions scale from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production.
• Develop accelerated test plans to validate thermal performance over the product's lifetime, including environmental and duty-cycle stress.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience (or equivalent "hard tech" projects) designing and validating thermal solutions for complex electromechanical systems.
• Strong fundamentals in conduction, convection, and radiation, plus working knowledge of two-phase cooling and heat-pipe / vapor-chamber design.
• Hands- on experience with CFD tools (Ansys Icepak, Flotherm, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, or similar) and thermal FEA.
• Track record solving thermal problems in at least one of: high-torque-density motors / actuators, dense power electronics, or compute (CPU / GPU / custom accelerator).
• Comfortable instrumenting, testing, and debugging thermal performance on real hardware.
• Experience designing for volume processes (extrusion, die casting, brazing, stamping) and working with thermal component suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• High proficiency in SolidWorks, Catia, or similar CAD tools.
• Hands- on problem-solving approach with the ability to iterate quickly.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity, move fast, and have an "engineering curiosity" that drives you to understand how the entire system works, not just your part.

BONUS

• Experience in robotics, prosthetics, EV powertrains, drones, or other dense electromechanical systems.
• Familiarity with motor / actuator thermal modeling (winding hot-spot estimation, lumped-parameter networks).
• Experience with liquid cooling or hybrid air / liquid systems.
• PhD or research experience in thermal sciences.