Staff Scientist - Engineering

Location

ST. LOUIS, MO 63130

37.5

Scientist will conduct and lead advanced theoretical, computational, and experimental research on ultrasonic thin-film atomization and pintle-based liquid atomization, primarily for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) FLARE project and secondarily for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) PLIANT project, if permanent residency is obtained. The work will produce validated physical understanding, automated rule extraction, and predictive design tools for high-speed, combustion-ready injectors, and seek understanding of the physics underpinning ultrasound-driven atomization, a highly nonlinear and heretofore unexplained phenomena.

Other work outside these specific duties may be required from time to time in research-related tasks.

Primary

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead theoretical and mathematical modeling of ultrasonic thin-film and pintle atomization, interfacial instabilities, acoustic streaming, and wave-fluid interactions for DARPA FLARE and ONR PLIANT.
• Design and conduct experiments on acoustically driven thin films and pintle-based liquid atomization using high-speed imaging, acoustic/electrical characterization, and flow measurements; validate models and identify operating regimes.
• Develop numerical simulation, data-analysis, and machine-learning/automated rule-extraction workflows that integrate experiments and theory into predictive injector-design tools.
• Analyze data with appropriate uncertainty quantification; maintain reproducible code, datasets, experimental records, and protocols; uphold laboratory safety and research-quality standards.
• Prepare sponsor reports and deliverables, peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations, and material for DARPA/ONR technical reviews; communicate findings clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Coordinate research with project investigators and external collaborators; provide technical mentoring to graduate and undergraduate researchers and contribute to laboratory and project planning.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Location /

Working Conditions:

Primary work location is the WashU Danforth Campus, with duties divided between office/computational and laboratory settings. Occasional travel to sponsor reviews or collaborator sites and occasional work outside standard hours may be required for experiments and publication or project deadlines.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Education:

Master’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

Certifications
** /Professional Licenses **:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Laboratory Operations (3 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver’s License:

A driver’s license is not required for this position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, applied mathematics, or a closely related field.
• At least two years of postdoctoral or equivalent post-Ph.D. research experience in fluid mechanics, acoustofluidics, multiphase/interfacial flows, atomization, or a related field, with a demonstrated record of peer-reviewed scholarship, advanced mathematics skills beyond graduate level, and applied fluid physics expertise beyond graduate level.
• Five or more years of post-Ph.D. research experience.
• Demonstrated research in…