Description

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) has an opening for a PhD level Post-doctoral Researcher or Research Engineer, located in Hampton, Virginia. The successful candidate will work as part of an interdisciplinary team located in the Advanced Measurement and Data Systems Branch investigating instrumentation for a variety of different reacting and non-reacting gaseous flow systems at NASA Langley Research Center. 

This work aims to investigate measurement technologies and to apply them to study subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flow facilities, with primary emphasis on transonic cryogenic wind tunnel measurements in the first year.   Measurement parameters of interest include velocity, temperature, density, and pressure.   Particle-based and molecular based approaches will be developed and implemented.  Laser systems used would include pulsed YAG lasers, high speed pulse-burst YAG lasers, and femtosecond laser systems to perform particle image velocimetry (PIV), Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV), Rayleigh scattering multi-parameter measurement, and FLEET velocimetry.  The candidate will be expected to collaborate across branches and with civil servant and contractor employees in performance of the work.

Exceptional experienced candidates may be considered for a Research Engineer position. Interested candidates should apply via NIA’s career opportunities site located at www.nianet.org under the ‘About NIA’ tab.  Please include a letter of introduction, resume, and the names and contact information of three current references.

NIA, located near NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is a non-profit research and graduate education institute created to perform aerospace and atmospheric research, develop new technologies for the nation, and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. 

NIA ranked #1 in the mid/large sized companies 2021 Top 50 Best Nonprofits to work for in the U.S.!

NIA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under Federal, State or local laws.

Requirements

Requirements:

• PhD or equivalent in field of engineering or physical sciences
• Experienced with high-powered laser systems
• Experienced in photodetector and advanced imaging technologies
• Experience with programming in MATLAB and LabView.
• Ability to successfully complete a background investigation required to obtain a NASA badge
• US citizenship or permanent resident status is a bona fide requirement

Desired skills:   

• Experience with molecular-based measurement techniques (planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), Raman spectroscopy, Rayleigh scattering, and/or coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and/or related techniques.)
• Experience with particle-based measurement techniques (Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV), and/or Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV))
• Familiar or experience with pulse-burst laser systems.
• Familiar or experience with femtosecond laser systems.
• Familiar or experience with aeronautic ground test (wind tunnel) facilities.