Research Engineer - Mechanical Systems

Job Description Summary

As a Research Engineer - Mechanical Systems, you will do hands-on work on technology programs in development and research of advanced mechanical systems. You will interact with technologists and engineers to deliver novel solutions for complex, multi-disciplinary problems in the broad area of mechanical design for all of GE Vernova Products. This is a high impact and high visible role with tight deadlines requiring extremely quick turn-around times, often needing to work with limited inputs/data and huge opportunities for creativity and innovation.

Job Description

As a Research Engineer - Mechanical Systems, you will do hands-on work on technology programs in development and research of advanced mechanical systems. You will interact with technologists and engineers to deliver novel solutions for complex, multi-disciplinary problems in the broad area of mechanical design for all of GE Vernova Products. This is a high impact and high visible role with tight deadlines requiring extremely quick turn-around times, often needing to work with limited inputs/data and huge opportunities for creativity and innovation.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Do Hands-on Mechanical Finite Element analysis of, but not limited to, wind turbine, gas turbine, steam turbine components for determining stress and fatigue life.
• Do Hands-on Advanced modeling and simulation.
• Do Hands-on Advanced Finite Element Contact Analysis of Components and Systems
• Perform all preprocessing (including meshing tasks, setting of finite element models for all load conditions), running and postprocessing tasks
• Interpret the results of the analysis and provide meaningful insights to the global teams
• Document thoroughly the project work
• Participate in technical reviews and ideation sessions
• Be current on the state-of-the-art on the analytical and numerical modeling of degradation and failure mechanisms
• Do literature survey, synthesize the findings and provide recommendations for the way forward.
• Develop ideas and concepts to improve the durability and availability of mechanical components of wind turbine, gas turbine, steam turbine
• Deliver on technical projects with set timelines and cost, implement plans with minimal guidance to meet technical requirements and assure proper documentation of the same
• Network and collaborate with both GE Vernova engineers, Vernova Advanced Research team members to build plans and execute on technical projects
• Participate in a team framework on multi-generation technology programs to enable future design advancements, while independently executing tasks leveraging your technical skills.

Required Qualifications
• Doctoral degree in Solid Mechanics/Structural Mechanics, with at least 1 year of experience in industrial research or post-doctoral research
• Fundamental knowledge and deep expertise in solid mechanics, structural dynamics, fatigue, creep and fracture mechanics
• Solid understanding of key mechanical components of Wind Turbine, Gas Turbine and Steam Turbine Power Plant Equipment, including Balance of Plant Equipment.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in end-to-end analysis in ANSYS & ABAQUS for mechanical and structural dynamics problems, with a solid understanding of loads and boundary conditions.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in modeling of different degradation mechanisms in Composite, Ceramics and Metals, including development of user defined subroutines for specific failure/degradation mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn new, unfamiliar technology areas and to abstract system level concepts
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team environment as "ONE TEAM"
• Demonstrated initiative, accountability and ownership of assigned tasks.
• Curiosity and appreciation for role of inter-disciplinary technologies in the product development and the overall "Big Picture"
• Strong understanding of Materials and their Properties that influence the mechanical design.
• Understanding of Energy Transition Space and technologies/solutions to navigate the transition
• Solid understanding of Technology Readiness Levels and Technical Competitive Assessment
• Demonstrated Creativity and Problem Solving Abilities
• Solid understanding of energy transition, decarbonization, fuel cells and storage
• Passion towards Innovation, Emerging Technologies, IP Landscape, White Space identification and Patents
Desired Characteristics
• Experience in modeling initiation and propagation of cracks in composites
• Experience in modeling degradation in hot gas path components of gas turbines
• Experience in durability testing of mechanical components and sub-components
• Product Knowledge of Gas Turbines and Wind Turbines, with a solid understanding of their operating conditions
• Experience in performing design trade-off studies and design optimization
• Exposure to prototype/ engine Tests, experience with data mining/processing and building models
• Awareness of field issues that impact the availability and durability
• Experience in sensor data analytics for condition monitoring and the validation of the computational models with the test data
• Ability to automate the processes for improved productivity