POST-DOCTORAL POSITION AT MIT’S GAS TURBINE LABORATORY
The Gas Turbine Laboratory (GTL) at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT invites applications for an open post-doctoral position in the area of intelligent gas turbine engine technologies.
The GTL has a long history in “smart engines,” in particular active control of turbomachinery instabilities. We are starting a new effort on diagnostics and prognostics for gas turbine engine system stability characterization. The project aims to establish an experimental test bed to demonstrate and investigate engine diagnostic methods and procedures in relevant turbomachinery environments. The key objective is to exploit new models that describe the engine dynamic behavior and forced response methodologies for system identification. In more detail the project will: (1) identify and measure the boundaries and margins for flutter, surge & stall, and rotor whirl, (2) characterize sensor signals of various vibration, instability and failure modes typically seen in gas turbine engines, (3) establish novel detection schemes for gas turbine engine prognostics and diagnostics, and (4) test advanced sensor and actuator configurations for new monitoring and diagnostic schemes. To provide a realistic environment, the experiments are planned in a small turbo-fan jet engine to be setup in one of the GTL’s engine test cells.
Applicants should have earned a doctorate in aeronautical / mechanical engineering or in a closely related field and should have substantial experimental experience. A background in turbomachinery unsteady flow and expertise in estimation and control is preferred. The successful candidate will work closely with MIT students, staff, and faculty members, as well as interact with our industry partner. One of the major tasks is to design, setup and commission the experimental test rig. The skills and qualifications that are sought include: (1) strong conceptual grasp of dynamical system and unsteady flow modeling, (2) ability to develop and implement plans for complex experiments to be setup and carried out at the GTL, (3) excellence in oral and written technical communication, (4) strong problem solving skills and a commitment to excellence in research.
Interested applicants should submit their applications to: http://jobs.mit.edu/how-to-apply
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POST DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE IN AEROACOUSTICS, GAS TURBINE LAB
Applications are sought for the position of Post Doctoral Associate, joining a team that is assessing the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of a unique advanced civil aircraft. The project is supported by NASA and includes collaboration with Pratt & Whitney and Aurora Flight Sciences, as well as with personnel at NASA Ames, Glenn, and Langley Research Centers. The successful applicant will take a lead role in assessments of the acoustic shielding of engine noise from a highly integrated propulsion system-airframe configuration. He or she will develop and implement conceptual and detailed plans, including the supporting analysis, for acoustic measurements to be carried out in the NASA Langley 14 x 22 foot wind tunnel with a scaled model. He or she will work closely with MIT students, staff, and faculty members, as well as engineers from our industry partners and from NASA.
The skills and qualifications that are sought include:
- Demonstrated strong conceptual grasp of aeroacoustics, including familiarity with experimental measurement techniques
- Ability to develop and implement plans for complex experiments to be carried out at NASA Langley
- Capability to achieve successful collaborations within the home organization as well as with industrial partners and NASA
- PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering
- Excellence in oral and written technical communication
Interested applicants should submit their application to http://jobs.mit.edu/how-to-apply
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POST DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE IN AERODYNAMICS, GAS TURBINE LAB
Applications are sought for the position of Post Doctoral Associate, joining a team that is assessing the performance of a unique advanced civil aircraft. The project is supported by NASA and includes collaboration with Pratt & Whitney and Aurora Flight Sciences, as well as with personnel at NASA Ames, Glenn, and Langley Research Centers. The successful applicant will take a lead role in experimental assessments of the aerodynamic characteristics of a highly integrated propulsion system-airframe configuration. He or she will develop and implement conceptual and detailed experimental plans for evaluation of a large-scale powered model in a wind tunnel at MIT and in the NASA Langley 14 x 22 foot wind tunnel. He or she will work closely with MIT students, staff, and faculty members, as well as engineers from our industry partners and from NASA.
The skills and qualifications that are sought include:
- Demonstrated strong conceptual grasp of vehicle aerodynamics
- In-depth knowledge of one or more of the following areas (in order of importance): experimental aerodynamics, aircraft propulsion, turbomachinery
- Ability to develop and implement plans for complex experiments to be carried out at MIT and at NASA Langley
- Capability to achieve successful collaborations within the home organization as well as with industrial partners and with NASA
- PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering
- Excellence in oral and written technical communication
Interested applicants should submit their application to: http://jobs.mit.edu/how-to-apply
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ZERO ROBOTICS SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR
One year commitment, with potential of continuation
The ZERO ROBOTICS SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR will maintain and improve the Zero Robotics web-based software infrastructure. Zero Robotics is a software programming competition where teams of middle- and high-school students use a web-based IDE to program the SPHERES (http://ssl.mit.edu/spheres) satellites in a competition. The programming starts via simulation and goes through a series of elimination rounds; the finalists see their code tested by astronauts aboard the International Space Station! Zero Robotics involves two annual “tournaments”: the Middle-School Summer Program, which is a 5-week summer program; and the high-school Fall Tournament which takes place from September to December. Both programs consists of four main phases: 2D simulation, 3D simulations, Semi-Finals simulations, and ISS Finals. The competition is funded for the Fall of 2013 (into January 2014) and is expected to continue throughout the life of the ISS.
The Zero Robotics program depends primarily on the web-based integrated development and simulation environment used by all participants to program and test their code. The System Architect and Engineer will lead the development and maintenance of the server system which provides access to the multiple parts of the website. This includes development of both front-end “portlets” for direct use by the participants and the back-end simulation, compilation, and farm balancing tools used to serve the application. The primary responsibilities include:
- Maintain and document the Zero Robotics web-based infrastructure, including its component pieces:
- Hosting infrastructure (Amazon Web Services: EC2 and RDS)
- Client-side web application (JavaScript, jQuery)
- Server-side web application (Java)
- Main application server (Liferay Portal running on jBoss under Linux)
- Simulation processor farm (custom implementation, running under Linux)
- Zero Robotics/SPHERES simulation (MATLAB, C++)
- Simulation Visualization (Flash/ActionScript)
- Respond to urgent bug fixes during competition season
- Perform long-term planning for website enhancements and upgrades
- Run "TopCoder" competitions to crowd-source the website development
REQUIREMENTS: a Masters-level degree or higher in either an engineering field related to Zero Robotics (Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or similar) or a Bachelors Degree with relevant work experience in web-based application development. The candidate, regardless of educational background, must have experience with website development and maintenance: must have a strong knowledge of HTML, Javascript, and CSS; and must have strong familiarity with at least one server-side language such as Java, Ruby, or Python. Experience with Java-based web applications, especially one based on the Spring Framework is highly preferred. Should have some experience with Linux and basic server administration. Experience with any combination of Flash, MATLAB, and the Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform is preferred. Demonstrated enthusiasm for STEM outreach.
Interested applicants should submit their application to http://jobs.mit.edu/how-to-apply
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MIT is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Underrepresented minorities and women are encouraged to apply
