Material Response Modeling Engineer

Job Description:

Position Overview

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is seeking a highly motivated Material Response Modeling Engineer to support NASA under the Aircraft Systems and Spaceflight Engineering Support Services (ASSESS) contract at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in Moffett Field, California. The selected candidate will work on-site within the Thermal Protection Materials (TSM) Branch, part of the Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA ARC.

This position supports the development, application, verification, and validation of computational tools for predicting the response of thermal protection system (TPS) materials in extreme aerothermal environments. The successful candidate will work as part of an interdisciplinary team of computational and experimental researchers to advance material-response modeling capabilities, support development of advanced TPS materials, and improve the predictive fidelity and computational performance of engineering simulation tools.

This opportunity is open to U.S. citizen and legal permanent resident candidates ranging from recent M.S. or Ph.D. graduates through experienced technical contributors and senior researchers. A Ph.D. is preferred but not required; applicants with an M.S. and strong relevant experience are encouraged to apply.

About the project

The Thermal Protection Materials Branch develops and evaluates materials and predictive capabilities for atmospheric entry, descent, and landing applications. The Material Response Modeling Engineer will contribute to NASA’s open-source PATO material-response software and related computational capabilities used to simulate the thermal, chemical, and physical response of TPS materials.

Work may include modeling ablative and charring material systems; developing numerical methods and software for coupled flow–material interactions; modeling pyrolysis, decomposition, oxidation, recession, spallation, and phase-change processes; and verifying and validating models against relevant test data, including arc-jet test results. The role will involve scientific software development, high-performance computing, technical communication, and close collaboration across modeling and materials-development teams.

Position Details

• Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

• Work arrangement: Full-time, on-site attendance required

• Travel: Occasional travel may be required

• Compensation: $120,000 – $180,000, commensurate with education level

Responsibilities

• Responsibilities will vary based on program and project needs and may include:

• Contributing to the development, maintenance, documentation, and application of the open-source NASA material-response software PATO

• Developing and implementing computational models for the response of TPS materials in extreme aerothermal environments

• Modeling relevant material-response phenomena, including thermal decomposition, pyrolysis, charring, oxidation, surface recession, spallation, phase change, and gas transport

• Developing efficient and scalable numerical methods for challenging coupled physics problems, including flow-material interactions and finite-rate physical and chemical processes

• Performing ablative TPS material-response simulations in support of material development, system design, and technology maturation activities

• Supporting verification, validation, and uncertainty assessment of material-response models through comparison with experimental data, including arc-jet and other high-temperature test environments

• Developing, testing, debugging, and maintaining scientific software in C++, Python, and related programming languages

• Performing and supporting large-scale simulations using high-performance computing resources

• Collaborating with computational modelers, material scientists, experimentalists, contractors, and NASA researchers in multidisciplinary technical teams

• Preparing technical reports, presentations, conference papers, and peer-reviewed journal publications, as appropriate

• Supporting the development of research proposals and new project concepts, as opportunities arise

• Participating in technical meetings, reviews, teleconferences, and project activities as scheduled by task and project leads

• Presenting project status, technical results, and recommendations to team members, management, and external technical audiences

Required Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or a closely related technical discipline

  • Candidates who are near completion of a Ph.D. are encouraged to apply.

  • Relevant professional research or engineering experience may be considered in place of some educational preferences.

• Demonstrated experience with computational modeling, scientific computing, or numerical simulation relevant to material response, heat transfer, reacting flows, ablation, or related multiphysics problems

• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python

• Familiarity with high-performance computing and large-scale simulation workflows

• Knowledge of numerical methods and software-development practices applicable to scientific and engineering computing

• Strong problem-solving, critical-thinking, organizational, and self-direction skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work both independently and effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team

• Ability to work full-time on-site at NASA Ames Research Center

• Ability to travel occasionally, as required

• This position requires U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency due to export control requirements.

Desired Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant engineering, science, or computational discipline

• Experience with PATO material-response software

• Experience with other material-response, TPS, ablation, or charring-material simulation tools, such as FIAT, Icarus, CHAR, or comparable government, academic, commercial, or internally developed codes

• Experience modeling ablative thermal protection system materials at the macroscale

• Experience with coupled fluid-thermal-chemical-material-response modeling or flow-material interaction solvers

• Familiarity with modeling pyrolysis, charring, decomposition, oxidation, gas transport, surface recession, spallation, phase change, or gas-surface interactions

• Experience developing, verifying, validating, or applying material-response models using high-enthalpy or arc-jet test data

• Experience with thermochemistry, chemical kinetics, porous-media transport, or reacting-flow modeling

• Experience with uncertainty quantification, sensitivity analysis, material-property modeling, or parameter estimation

• Experience with Fortran or other scientific programming languages

• Experience developing or maintaining open-source scientific software

• Experience working in Linux-based development and HPC environments

• Record of technical publications, conference presentations, or other demonstrated technical communication products

• Familiarity with NASA Ames Research Center or NASA research and development environments

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.

AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee 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.