Computational Fluid Dynamics Applications Engineer

Job Description:

Position Overview

AMA is seeking an experienced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Applications Engineer to perform aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic analyses and simulations across a wide range of flight regimes in support of a NASA contract. The successful candidate will apply advanced CFD methodologies to analyze vehicle performance spanning low-speed commercial aircraft configurations through hypersonic re-entry conditions, contributing to the advancement of aerospace vehicle design and mission success.

Work will be performed in an office environment with access to high-performance computing resource. This position may require occasional travel to other NASA centers, research facilities, or technical conferences. Approximate salary range for this role is $84,000-$110,000 commensurate with education and experience.

 Key Responsibilities:

• Perform computational fluid dynamics simulations for aerospace vehicles operating across multiple speed regimes, including but not limited to:

  • Low-speed commercial aircraft in landing configurations

  • Transonic and supersonic flight conditions

  • Hypersonic reentry of crew and cargo configurations

• Conduct steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations to predict aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic performance, forces, moments, heat loads, and flow characteristics.

• Generate high-quality unstructured grids for complex vehicle geometries and perform either manual or automated grid adaptation.

• Analyze and interpret CFD results to provide engineering insights for vehicle design, performance optimization, and mission planning.

• Validate simulation results against other computational approaches, experimental data, and flight test measurements.

• Document analysis methodologies, simulation parameters, and results in technical reports and presentation.s

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including aerodynamicists, aerothermodynamicists, aeroelasticians, and flight mechanics engineers.

• Support the development and implementation of best practices for CFD simulation workflows.

• Contribute to code verification and validation activities to ensure simulation accuracy and reliability.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or closely related field; or 2+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or closely related field.

• 2 years of experience with steady RANS simulations.

• Demonstrated proficiency with industry-standard unstructured-grid CFD software packages (FUN3D, STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Fluent, or equivalent).

• Strong background in fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and numerical methods.

• Experience with grid generation tools (unstructured and hybrid meshes)

• Proficiency in Linux/Unix environments and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

• Experience analyzing flows across multiple Mach number regimes.

• Strong programming/scripting skills (Python, MATLAB, Fortran, C/C++, or similar).

• Ability to process and visualize large datasets (Tecplot, ParaView, FieldView, or equivalent).

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical capabilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

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

• Proven track record of technical documentation and reporting

• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence

 Desired Qualifications:

• Proficiency with the NASA-developed CFD code and automated grid refinement

• Experience with steady RANS simulations such as:

• Turbulence modeling (k-ε, k-ω, SST, Spalart-Allmaras, etc.)

• Compressible and incompressible flow solvers applied to subsonic through supersonic regimes

• High-lift aerodynamics and complex flow phenomena

• Experience with hypersonic flow physics, including:

  • High-temperature gas effects

  • Chemical non-equilibrium

  • Radiation heat transfer

  • Ablation modeling

• Familiarity with scale-resolving methods, including:

  • Hybrid RANS-LES approaches

  • Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Wall-Modeled LES (WMLES)

  • Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) and variants (DDES, IDDES)

  • Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS)

• Knowledge of uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis techniques

• Ex