GPU Computing Specialist - LAVA CFD Team

Job Description:

Position Overview

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is seeking a skilled and experienced GPU Computing specialist to support the Launch Ascent and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) team within the Computational Aerosciences Branch (TNA) at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) under the Aircraft Systems and Speceflight Engineering Support Servies (ASSESS) contract. The successful candidate will play a key role in advancing GPU acceleration, performance optimization, and feature development of the LAVA CFD solver suite — a high-performance computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver framework used in mission-critical aerospace simulations.

Primary Responsibilities

• Contribute to GPU optimization efforts for the LAVA Cartesian solver, focusing on MPI/C++/CUDA implementation
• Support enhancement of Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulation (WMLES) capabilities
• Implement and optimize new features for the adaptive mesh refinement framework
• Assist with hybrid parallelization strategies using MPI, CUDA, and OpenMP
• Help identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in computational workflows
• Create comprehensive technical documentation for code modifications and new features
• Assist users with software issues as we release the LAVA code to the broader community
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary scientific teams to address complex aerospace CFD problems
• Support simulation deployment across various computing environments, from workstations to supercomputers

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computational Sciences or related field
• Experience with CUDA programming and GPU architecture optimization
• Knowledge of detailed CUDA optimization techniques (occupancy, registers, memory layout, etc.), and profilers (ncu and nsys)
• Strong C++ programming skills with experience in performance-critical applications
• Working knowledge of MPI and OpenMP parallel programming models
• Demonstrated ability to optimize scientific computing applications
• Candidates must have current U.S. work authorization. While preference is given to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, we also welcome applications from individuals holding valid U.S. work visas (such as OPT, CPT, or other permissible categories).

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in computational fluid dynamics or related scientific computing fields
• Knowledge of GPU computing on NVIDIA HPC architectures (eg A100, GH200)
• Experience with octree data structures and Cartesian AMR algorithms
• Experience working in diverse computing environments from workstations to HPC systems

Nice to Have

• Knowledge and experience with ray tracing libraries (OptiX, OWL, Embree, etc.) for immersed boundary geometry queries
• Knowledge of FEM structural dynamics for fluid-structure interaction simulations
• Experience with performance portability layers
• Experience with non-NVIDIA GPU accelerators (AMD, Intel, etc.)
• Familiarity with cross-platform GPU development
• Familiarity with low-dissipation numerics for computational fluid dynamics
• Experience with multi-phase or multi-physics simulations
• Background in aerospace applications, particularly:
  • Launch environment modeling
  • Parachute/entry system dynamics
  • Aerodynamic simulations of aircraft

Project Context

The successful candidate will join NASA's LAVA team as a contractor, working on software that has been applied to mission-critical problems including:

• Launch environment simulations for the Artemis program
• Entry system modeling, particularly parachute decelerator dynamics using FSI
• Scale-resolving Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulation for aeronautical applications

This position offers the opportunity to advance cutting-edge GPU computing methodologies within a framework that directly impacts NASA's spaceflight and aeronautics missions. The LAVA code is run on a range of compute environments from workstations to supercomputers, requiring flexibility and expertise in various deployment scenarios.

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 mat