Duties and Responsibilities:

The mission of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University is to transform human healthcare and the environment by emulating the way nature builds.  Developed as an alliance between Harvard and other premier academic and clinical partner institutions, Institute faculty and staff collaborate in high-risk, fundamental research and science-driven technology development. A major focus of the Institute is to translate the technologies developed by its faculty and staff into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators and establishment of corporate alliances. For more information, visit: http://wyss.harvard.edu/.

Reporting to the Operations Director, the Staff Mechanical Engineer assists and enables Wyss Institute faculty and researchers in their research and development efforts in the field of biologically inspired engineering. The Staff Mechanical Engineer will work closely with researchers who are developing new bioinspired materials for the building industry and will engage with Wyss Institute faculty to translate concepts for adaptive building systems into practical designs. From those designs, he/she will be responsible to produce (design, fabricate, test, control) prototypical devices that incorporate new materials in order to demonstrate adaptive building performance. The successful candidate will conduct laboratory research and participate in the efforts of Wyss researchers in the technical translation area. He/she will be responsible for the innovation, evolution, and maintenance of a broad set of mechanical engineering systems to facilitate the Institute’s mission, research, and product development efforts in the adaptive architecture area. The Staff Mechanical Engineer will participate in group design projects as well as initiate and execute individual design efforts. In addition, he/she will participate in writing research proposals, reports, patent applications, presentations and publications, providing critical data, figures or information for grant and patent submissions and interacting  regularly with affiliated Institute faculty and staff.

Basic Qualifications:

MS or BS in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering or similar degree. Minimum of 5  years of industry experience in research and/or product development. Extensive proficiency in mechanical design and simulation software (e.g. SolidWorks, ProE, AutoCAD, CATIA, etc) required. Hands-on experience with prototyping, machining (CNC), and 3D printing required. Experience with FEA and CFD desirable, including mesh generation and analysis software (e.g. ANSYS, Fluent, Nastran, Abaqus, etc) required. Experience in material selection and characterization of performance (stress testing, fatigue analysis) required

Additional Qualifications:

Previous experience in building design, building materials, quality systems, and/or mechanical testing are highly desirable. Knowledge and experience working with various tooling/manufacturing sources and component vendors is a plus. Knowledge of engineering documentation and lab procedures desirable. Strong organizational skills, creativity, motivation, and communication (oral and written) skills  are required. Ability to tackle multiple projects simultaneously in a dynamic team environment is essential. Strong commitment to educating and mentoring students and postdoctoral fellows is necessary.

Requsition number 22609