Graduate Thermal Engineer

GRADUATE STUDENT-R&D - Graduate Thermal Engineer

18-01601

Who We Are:

We are a collaborative, agile team of engineers within Southwest Research Institute dedicated to advancing science and applying technology for the benefit of government and industry. We develop next-generation thermal and fluid systems across data center cooling, energy and power, aerospace, aviation, and defense—delivering objective, high-impact solutions to complex engineering challenges.

Objectives of this Role:

• Provide engineering support for research projects on thermal systems involving heat transfer and complex fluid phenomena.
• Topic areas include data center cooling, space thermal management, electronics cooling, HVAC and other energy/water nexus topics.
• Perform experimental research projects in a laboratory setting.
• Provide design solutions for thermal management systems and/or fluid systems using analytical and computational approaches.
• Develop innovative solutions for commercial and government clients on the world’s challenges in the energy-water nexus.
• Summer 2026 Internship

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

• Support bench- and pilot-scale thermal-fluid experiments, including design of flow loops; integration of pumps, heat exchangers, cold plates, chillers, CDUs; installation of temperature/pressure/flow instrumentation; and commissioning of safe, fully integrated test systems.
• Develop and operate LabVIEW-based data acquisition and control systems; automate test sequences; monitor performance in real time; and conduct data reduction, analysis, visualization, and uncertainty quantification using MATLAB and/or Python.
• Support the design of thermal management and fluid systems using first principles, analytical methods, and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+); validate models with experimental data for data centers, space systems, electronics cooling, HVAC, and energy-water applications.

Requirements:

• Must be enrolled in a Masters or a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or directly related engineering field.
• Dissertation or thesis must be related to one of the following fields: thermal management design in data center cooling, space thermal fluids, electronics cooling, HVAC, or energy-water systems
• Experience in LabVIEW for data acquisition and control and CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+) for modeling and optimization is helpful

Special Requirements:

Must be a U.S. person (i.e., U.S. citizen, non-U.S. citizen national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee) due to ITAR work in section.

Job Locations: San Antonio, Texas

For more information about this division, visit the Mechanical Engineering home page.

For benefits information at our San Antonio location, click here.
For benefits information at all other locations, click here.

An Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and veteran status.