Job Details

Professional Research Assistant

Position Number: 6581012
Location: Boulder, CO
Position Type: Engineering - Aerospace

Professional Research Assistant

Requisition Number: 67430
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Research Faculty
Schedule: Part Time
Posting Close Date: 22-Sep-2025
Date Posted:

Job Summary

The Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) is seeking a Professional Research Assistant.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

CU Boulder is the place for aerospace. Our students and faculty are pushing the limits of aeronautics and astronautics research, crafting next-generation aircraft, growing the possibilities of remote sensing, and building space instruments and satellites for orbit around Earth and beyond!

Our mission is to provide students the highest quality education in aerospace engineering sciences, emphasizing hands-on learning, and to conduct fundamental, applied, and interdisciplinary research to meet societal needs through analysis, design, and implementation of aerospace systems, using connections between aerospace engineering and related sciences. We are home to 56-tenure track, research, and instructional faculty, over 500 graduate students and 1,000 undergraduates.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Lead the MAXWELL/SWARM-EX structures teams by onboarding new members, assisting other subteams with structures related tasks, and otherwise help move the project forward.
Assist with any remaining Flight Model Integration for MAXWELL
Assist with preparation of GSE Equipment for MAXWELL Integration and Testing
Finalize, get approval from UNP, and get fabricated required TVAC GSE for testing.
Lead Structures Side of Integrated Testing at customer facility
Provide input and assist with writing final documentation for customer
Develop SME (Subject Matter Expert) Documentation for Structures & Deployable Mechanisms in preparation for potential orbit anomalies.
Lead Mechanical Development of the SWARM-EX Cubesat by onboarding new members and interfacing with other subteams to ensure that the cubesat will be overall assembleable.
Lead a dry run of the cubesat to iterate the assembly procedure and to increase our fidelity of understanding of the Cubesat.
Assist with design, fabrication and test of spacecraft component(s) for Vibe, Thermal and Vacuum testing as required.
Modify spacecraft CAD in Solidworks as required by the structures team, as well as other subteams.
Create fabrication plan for flight spacecraft bus including conducting tolerance stackup analysis and using GD&T
Use insights from industry to create more clear milestones for design projects to help improve the cross team communication and keep projects on track.
Interface with industry experts on behalf of the team (ie. Steve Steg, Spencer from LASP).

What We Can Offer

The salary for this part-time position is $27,000 which is the prorated amount for a 50% FTE appointment.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be curious. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or a similar relevant field.
1-2 year(s) of experience in Spacecraft Design.
Knowledge of Cubesat Design.
Previous experience holding a leadership role in projects.
Experience working on engineering teams.
Ability to work on-site at CU Boulder at least 15 hours per week, and travel as required.
Be a self starter and able to find out on your own what the most impactful work is to be doing each week.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

Current Resume/CV
Cover Letter

One letter of recommendation will be required from the finalist. Please email at least one letter of recommendation to our Sr. HR Coordinator, Melissa Flores, at aerohrhelp@colorado.edu.
Please apply by September 22, 2025 for full consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

To apply, visit https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/Professional-Research-Assistant/67430