Engineer - Component Heat Transfer

Job Description Summary

Job Description

GE Aerospace Research is seeking an exceptional early career researcher to join the Component Heat Transfer Laboratory as a Research Engineer.

The Component Heat Transfer Laboratory drives early-stage innovation in component thermal management by combining experimental rig development, high-fidelity simulation, and integration with advanced material systems. The Laboratory investigates heat transfer in turbine and combustion components, develops electronics thermal-management concepts, and contributes to next-generation thermal-management technologies in complex aerospace systems. Its work serves GE Aerospace's Commercial Engines & Services and Defense & Systems teams, GE Aerospace Research technology organizations, DARPA, and other U.S. Government customers.

As part of the early career development program, you will build deep technical expertise in heat transfer while developing the organizational intelligence and leadership skills that define Research's technical leaders. Your first three years at Research include structured development to accelerate your growth: establishing your technical foundation in your home laboratory, taking strategic stretch assignments across Research capabilities, and connecting with a cohort of early career peers. Through research, structured projects, coursework, and mentorship, you will progress from foundational researcher to recognized technical contributor ready for long-term impact in aerospace innovation.

As a Research Engineer, you will:

• Build safe and effective research practices: Follow laboratory, environmental health and safety, and security requirements, seek feedback, and contribute to a collaborative team environment.
• Evaluate component heat-transfer behavior: Apply heat-transfer fundamentals and analysis to understand thermal performance in turbine and other high-temperature components, with guidance from experienced researchers.
• Support experimental rig development and testing: Help design and prepare component-scale hardware, test coupons, and instrumentation to investigate heat-transfer behavior.
• Connect analysis with experimental evidence: Contribute to pre-test predictions, uncertainty quantification, data reduction, and model-test correlation, and communicate the limits of available measurements and models.
• Apply heat-transfer measurement methods: Use appropriate instrumentation and methods such as thermocouples, infrared thermography, and pressure-sensitive paint to measure component thermal performance.
• Explore emerging thermal-management concepts: Participate in work on additive-manufactured cooling-passage mockups, particulate control, electronics cooling, or other developing laboratory priorities.
• Communicate technical results: Prepare clear analyses, presentations, and reports that explain methods, evidence, conclusions, and remaining questions.
• Collaborate across disciplines: Work with researchers and partners in areas such as combustion, aerodynamics, materials, manufacturing, and computational modeling; provide component-level results for integration by customer and partner teams.

Qualifications/Requirements

- Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related STEM discipline. Coursework, research, or project experience should be relevant to heat transfer, thermal-fluid sciences, experimental methods, or computational modeling of thermal systems.

- Must be willing to work from the GE Aerospace Research office in Niskayuna, New York.

- Due to the nature of the work, U.S. citizenship is required. Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility and successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

- Some assignments may require the ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Government Secret clearance and the ability to attain a Top Secret clearance. U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite for a security clearance.

Desired Characteristics

- Fundamental knowledge of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics.

- Prior internship, co-op, or research experience in a university, national laboratory, industry, or applied research setting.

- Academic research experience, such as thesis-based work, publications, conference presentations, patents, or technical contributions to collaborative projects.

- Knowledge of turbine component thermal management, including film cooling and internal cooling.

- Experience with thermal or computational tools such as ANSYS Thermal, CFX, Fluent, or EES.

- Experience with experimental design, instrumentation, data analysis, or model-test correlation.

- Knowledge of measurement methods such as infrared thermography, pressure-sensitive paint, or thermochromic paints.

- Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary research team and communicate technical information clearly.

- A humble and inclusive approach: seeks to learn, welcomes feedback, and values different perspectives in technical discussions.

- A focused and rigorous approach: frames hypotheses, uses evidence to make decisions, iterates on solutions, and connects research to practical impact.

- Clear communication and collaboration skills, with initiative in contributing to a research group, university, or technical community.

Compensation and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $90,000-$100,000 USD annually. The specific annual rate offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate's experience, education, and work location. This position is eligible for the GE Aerospace AIR Bonus Program. Under current plan provisions, the bonus target is 5% of base salary; the actual bonus may increase or decrease based on factors including individual performance and company financial performance.

GE Aerospace offers comprehensive benefits and programs to support your health and, along with programs like HealthAhead, your physical, emotional, financial, and social wellbeing. Healthcare benefits include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; access to a Health Coach from GE Aerospace; and the Employee Assistance Program, which provides 24/7 confidential assessment, counseling, and referral services. Retirement benefits include the GE Aerospace Retirement Savings Plan, a 401(k) savings plan with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions, as well as access to Fidelity resources and planning consultants. Other benefits include tuition assistance, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, and paid time off for vacation or illness.

GE Aerospace (General Electric Company or the Company) and its affiliates each sponsor certain employee benefit plans or programs (i.e., are a "Sponsor"). Each Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, amend, suspend, replace, or modify its benefit plans and programs at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion. No individual has a vested right to any benefit under a Sponsor's welfare benefit plan or program. This document does not create a contract of employment with any individual.

This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. Therefore, employment will be contingent upon the ability to prove that you meet the status of a U.S. Person as one of the following: U.S. lawful permanent resident, U.S. Citizen, have been granted asylee or refugee status (i.e., a protected individual under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).

Additional Information

GE Aerospace will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable). Employees may also be subject to random and reasonable-suspicion drug and alcohol testing.