Space Nuclear Systems Engineer

Job Brief

AMA is seeking a Space Nuclear Systems Engineer for our Denver, CO or Huntsville, AL location to perform cutting edge analyses within AMA's Advanced Programs and Capabilities (ACP) group.

Responsibilities

• Perform neutronic, thermal hydraulic, fuel performance, engine cycle, or mechanical analyses of candidate nuclear propulsion system concepts
• Evaluate the parametric design space through assessment of system-level performance and technical or programmatic risks
• Independently develop and implement models to perform sensitivities related to candidate engine concept designs
• Perform steady state and transient analyses to inform overall system performance and possible test objectives for an NTP or NEP demonstration
• Communicate technical data to a multidisciplinary team of engineers and project managers via presentations and technical report writing
• Support the ongoing assessment of the radiation environment and dose mitigation strategies for ground testing as well as in-space operation
• Support relevant analyses and trades to determine required technology maturation of reactor components and facilities development for space reactor systems
• Perform literature review and documentation to assist in ongoing space reactor system development and programmatic planning efforts
• Publish reports, papers, and articles on findings

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or another related field
• Minimum of 2 years of research or related work experience in nuclear systems, engine cycle power balancing, space mission analysis, or modeling and simulation
• Experience in computational finite element, fuel performance, reactor physics, radiation physics, thermal hydraulic, and/or numeric analyses of novel fuel and reactor designs
• Familiarity with common reactor design and fuel performance metrics
• Strong skills in MATLAB, Python, and/or C++
• Technical writing experience and ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a diverse multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to independently communicate with and interface with government customers or stakeholders
• U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency

Desired Qualifications

• Graduate-level degree in Nuclear Engineering with academic research and/or 5 years of relevant professional work experience
• Previous exposure to or direct research related to advanced nuclear reactor systems for in-space applications (FSP, NTP, NEP) and terrestrial power generation
• Experience working with NASA, DOE, DOW, or other related government agencies
• Experience performing reactor and radiation physics calculations in MCNP, Serpent, OpenMC, Geant4, SCALE, DAGMC, or equivalent
• Experience with the MOOSE framework and its custom applications such as Cardinal, Bison, Griffin
• Experience with finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics for compressible flow using OpenFOAM, ANSYS, COMSOL, NekRS
• Experience independently designing and implementing research projects in a nuclear or aerospace related field
• Experience with development and implementation of experimental tests related to advancing nuclear and/or aerospace technologies
• Experience with object-oriented programming, Git version control, and software architecture management
• Self-motivated with good communication skills and desire to work in a highly motivated team environment
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to set up processes and organize project tasks