ENGINEER - RESEARCH ENGINEER - Thermal Engineer

Who We Are:

We are a collaborative, agile team of engineers within Southwest Research Institute dedicated to advancing science and applying technology for the benefit of government and industry. We develop next-generation thermal and fluid systems across data center cooling, energy and power, aerospace, aviation, and defense—delivering objective, high-impact solutions to complex engineering challenges.

Objectives of this Role:

• Provide engineering support for research projects on thermal systems involving heat transfer and complex fluid phenomena. Topic areas include data center cooling, space thermal management, electronics cooling, HVAC and other energy/water nexus topics.
• Lead and operate experimental research projects in a laboratory setting.
• Provide design solutions for thermal management systems and/or fluid systems using analytical and computational approaches.
• Develop innovative solutions for commercial and government clients on the world’s challenges in the energy-water nexus.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

• Lead bench- and pilot-scale thermal-fluid experiments, including design of flow loops; integration of pumps, heat exchangers, cold plates, chillers, CDUs; installation of temperature/pressure/flow instrumentation; and commissioning of safe, fully integrated test systems.
• Develop and operate LabVIEW-based data acquisition and control systems; automate test sequences; monitor performance in real time; and conduct data reduction, analysis, visualization, and uncertainty quantification using engineering software.
• Design and optimize thermal management and fluid systems using first principles, analytical methods, and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+); validate models with experimental data for data centers, space systems, electronics cooling, HVAC, and energy-water applications.
• Support multiple concurrent technical projects, including planning, budgeting, scheduling, documentation, and technical/financial performance; prepare test plans and reports; present results to stakeholders and at national/international conferences.
• Support new business development through networking, customer engagement, conference attendance, and proposal writing.

Requirements:

• Requires a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering or related Engineering degree fields.
• 0-5 years: Prior experimental research in an academic or professional setting is preferred.
• Experience in LabVIEW for data acquisition and control is preferred.
• A valid/clear driver's license is required.