Human Research Assistant; Engineer

Human Performance Research Assistant (Engineer)

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Around here, we define the future.

We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely.

On the Human Health and Performance Contract we are at the forefront of safeguarding astronaut health, ensuring human performance, and advancing technologies for human space exploration. We are seeking an EVA & Environmental Physiology Lab Research Assistant at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX.

In this role, you will support the EVA and Environmental Physiology Lab (EEPL), which focuses on enabling optimal human health, physiology, and performance in preparation for and during Extravehicular Activities (EVA)/spacewalk. You will contribute to engineering and human research efforts that develop, evaluate, and transition space suit health and performance capabilities, as well as new hardware and technologies required to support upcoming missions.

Your primary interfaces will span the NASA Human Health and Performance Directorate, human research study teams, human systems engineering, flight and medical operations, crew members, and human test subjects.

• Coordinate human research studies and engineering evaluations, including scheduling and integration with study teams and stakeholders
• Support the development and research of vehicle and space suit exploration atmospheres to mitigate decompression sickness
• Support CO₂ exposure evaluation, EVA/spacewalk physiological characterization, and development of computational models
• Implement research activities defined in strategic roadmaps
• Prepare study documentation such as IRB protocols, test plans, TRR packages, and progress reports
• Design and maintain data acquisition systems
• Perform equipment setup, calibration, and monitoring for tests and evaluations
• Monitor human subjects and collect physiological data during research studies and/or operational training, including at analog and field locations
• Perform other duties as assigned

You bring experience supporting research, engineering evaluations, or operational activities in human performance or engineering environments. You use your experience and judgment to coordinate complex studies, ensure data quality, maintain safety standards, and communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams. You comply with K 's Safety, Health and Environmental Plan, Quality Plan, and all safety policies and procedures, and complete all assigned training.

• Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, physiology, or a related science field, plus approximately 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of graduate education and experience
• Experience conducting human health and performance research, including physiological monitoring and/or kinematic analysis
• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident

• Master's degree in biomedical engineering, physiology, or a related science field
• Experience evaluating hardware such as wearable sensors or other health‑related equipment
• Experience implementing operational studies evaluating human performance and human‑system interactions, especially related to spaceflight

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to support multiple projects with minimal oversight
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including formal and informal presentations
• Proficiency with standard PC and Microsoft Office tools

• Experience with implementing human subject research
• Ability to critically analyze data and perform statistical analysis
• Experience with spaceflight analogs and/or simulations
• Experience preparing technical reports
• Experience with bioinstrumentation and data acquisition systems
• Experience with CAD and modeling tools (Solid Works, ProE, Blender, Polyworks)
• Experience with MATLAB, R, Python, or equivalent programming tools

This position is expected to be 100% on site and 100% in person. Occasional travel may be…