Senior Research Engineer, Solid Mechanics
Job Location:
San Francisco, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
We are seeking a Senior Research Engineer with deep expertise in solid mechanics to build the theoretical foundation of Gridwares new sensing capabilities. You will be the teams subject matter expert on the mechanics of structures and your work will directly shape how we measure validate and improve our physics-based measurement systems.
You will develop performant measurement algorithms lead sensitivity analyses that quantify how physical assumptions and algorithm inputs propagate into measurement error and run field validation studies. You will bridge the gap between structural mechanics theory and deployed sensing products.
This position focuses on mechanics modeling algorithm design validation study design and technical leadership rather than fleet-scale data operations or software implementation.
Design physics-based measurement algorithms.
Determine which physical and structural input parameters most reduce algorithm uncertainty to what precision they are needed and how to acquire themoptimizing the tradeoff between input data cost and measurement accuracy. Identify which error sources dominate and mitigate them.
Design and execute field validation studies: develop the protocol sample size acceptance criteria and ground truth measurement methods to evaluate our measurement products.
Serve as the teams theoretical subject matter expert on structure mechanics: failure modes material nonlinearity creep damage progression soil-structure interaction and regulatory strength standards.
Investigate alternative measurement principles that could improve accuracy or add interpretability.
Mentor team members on structural mechanics fundamentals and raise the rigor of the teams scientific work.
Collaborate closely with cross functional stakeholders to operationalize new capabilities from measurement to customer delivery.
PhD in Mechanical Engineering Civil/Structural Engineering or a closely related field plus 3 years of relevant industry experience or MS in one of those fields plus 6 years of relevant industry experience with a demonstrated track record of leading structural mechanics work end-to-end.
Deep expertise in solid mechanics: beam theory stress-strain constitutive models failure criteria fracture mechanics fatigue. Able to derive and critically evaluate structural models from first principles.
Experience with nonlinear material behaviorspecifically wood composites biological materials or other anisotropic/viscoelastic materials. Understanding of how material structural variability environmental factors anisotropy and aging affect mechanical properties.
Track record of designing and analyzing physical experiments or validation studies with quantitative rigordefining acceptance criteria characterizing uncertainty and drawing defensible conclusions.
Scientific computing: comfortable developing mechanics models and writing experimental analysis pipelines in Python MATLAB or equivalent.
Strong technical judgment communication and ability to translate complex mechanics into actionable engineering recommendations.
Experience leading technically complex work across multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
Relevant Depth Areas
We do not expect every senior candidate to be equally deep in every area below. Strong candidates will usually bring deep experience in several of these areas.
Wood timber or nonlinear material mechanics: experience with the mechanical behavior of wood fiber-reinforced composites or other anisotropic/viscoelastic materialsspecies- or batch-dependent properties moisture and environmental effects progressive degradation load duration factors and relevant standards.
Sensor data interpretation for physical systems: experience using sensor signals to infer the physical state of a structure or systemdeveloping physics-based models that connect indirect measurements to quantities of interest and understanding how measurement error propagates into derived quantities.
Geotechnical mechanics: soil-structure interaction modeling foundation stiffness characterization or embedded pile/pole analysis.
Probabilistic structural analysis: reliability methods Monte Carlo simulation extreme value statistics or load and resistance factor design (LRFD) applied to structural systems.
Experimental mechanics: strain gauging load testing DIC or other experimental stress/strain measurement on structures. Experience designing controlled loading experiments.
FEA of nonlinear or composite structures: finite element modeling of wood composite or other nonlinear material systems under combined loadingincluding material model selection mesh sensitivity and validation against experimental data.
- Familiarity withGIS tools or spatial analysis for infrastructure data.
Published research in wood mechanics structural reliability or structural health monitoring.
Experience designing field studies or validation trials with external partners.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
**At this time, Gridware is unable to provide visa sponsorship or immigration support for this role. We’re only able to consider candidates who are currently authorized to work in the country of employment without visa sponsorship now or in the future.** This describes the ideal candi ... View more
