Aerodynamics Expert

Pay: $80–$130/hour

Location: Global, fully remote

Job Type: Contractor (~15 hours per week)

Schedule: Flexible—you can choose the hours and days you work, including weekends if desired

We are looking for a highly skilled Aerodynamics Expert to contribute to an AI training project involving computational fluid dynamics, aerodynamic analysis, engineering simulation, and Python.

The work involves creating, solving, reviewing, and validating engineering tasks that can be completed through programmatic, command-line-based workflows. A representative task may require analyzing an airfoil, preparing a computational domain and mesh, defining appropriate boundary conditions, running a CFD simulation, calculating lift and drag, and determining whether the resulting flow field is numerically and physically valid.

This role requires both strong aerodynamics knowledge and experience using engineering tools programmatically. Experience limited exclusively to graphical user interfaces will not be sufficient, as task solutions must be reproducible through code, scripts, configuration files, or command-line tools.

What You’ll Work On

1. Solve and validate aerodynamic and fluid-dynamics problems.
2. Translate physical requirements into computational models and solver-ready cases.
3. Create or modify geometries, computational domains, and meshes.
4. Define appropriate initial conditions, boundary conditions, fluid properties, and solver settings.
5. Run CFD and aerodynamic-analysis workflows using command-line-accessible tools.
6. Use Python to automate preprocessing, simulation execution, parameter sweeps, postprocessing, and validation.
7. Analyze pressure, velocity, forces, moments, lift, drag, pressure loss, and other relevant outputs.
8. Diagnose problems involving mesh quality, convergence, numerical stability, turbulence modeling, or boundary conditions.
9. Perform mesh-independence studies, sanity checks, and comparisons against analytical, experimental, or reference results.
10. Review AI-generated engineering solutions and identify incorrect assumptions, invalid configurations, and physically unrealistic outputs.
11. Develop clear, reproducible reference solutions and verification criteria.

Required Qualifications

1. An MS or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering with an aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, or thermofluids specialization; or
2. A BS in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering plus at least 1–2 years of aero-specific professional or research experience.
3. Strong understanding of fluid mechanics and applied aerodynamics.
4. Experience formulating and executing CFD or aerodynamic analyses.
5. Practical proficiency with Python.
6. Experience with at least one engineering tool or library that can be operated through a CLI, scripting interface, configuration files, or programmatic API.
7. Ability to select and justify modeling assumptions, boundary conditions, mesh strategies, and solver settings.
8. Ability to diagnose non-convergence, unstable solutions, incorrect results, and physically invalid outputs.
9. Ability to communicate technical reasoning and engineering trade-offs clearly.

Relevant tools may include OpenFOAM, SU2, Gmsh, FEniCSx, Elmer, CalculiX, SciPy, or similar programmatic engineering software. Experience with an equivalent CLI-accessible tool is acceptable.

Relevant Python tools may include NumPy, SciPy, pandas, Matplotlib, Jupyter, solver APIs, mesh-processing libraries, or domain-specific scientific packages. No single library is mandatory.

Process

1. Apply to the role and complete the screening questions.
2. Complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes.
3. Complete a technical assessment, if required.
4. Complete the hiring manager review.

Compensation Structure

Compensation is output-based. Experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete each task may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow.

Minimum submission requirements apply.

Start Timeline & Availability

1. We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts who are ready to begin immediately. If selected, you will be expected to start your first task within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.