Hiring: Research Advisors for Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace

Future Forward Labs is a STEM research advising institute that supports high school students in conducting professional-grade scientific research. The organization bridges the gap between school curriculum and real-world STEM practice by pairing students with research advisors who hold completed PhDs in their fields. Scholars develop original research projects suitable for top-tier competitions such as ISEF, Regeneron STS, and Thermo Fisher JIC, as well as peer-reviewed journals and international conferences. The institute focuses exclusively on STEM disciplines, including AI, medicine, engineering, and the physical and life sciences. Future Forward Labs is headquartered in Seattle and collaborates with mentors located across the United States.

Role

Provide research guidance to students (grades 7–12) in 1-1 video sessions, typically 45–60 minutes each, across a 4–9 month project arc. Help each student scope a research question in aerospace that is original, answerable at their level, and feasible with hobbyist hardware, a school wind tunnel, or free simulation: low-Reynolds-number aerodynamics and airfoils, small UAV design and flight control, model rocket stability and recovery, lightweight structures and composites, satellite and CubeSat subsystems, orbital mechanics and mission design, atmospheric and planetary science using public data, or sustainable aviation. Teach the engineering research process end to end: literature search and reading primary papers, defining a measurable hypothesis, design of experiments with proper controls and repeated trials, data collection and uncertainty analysis, and documenting a build or model so someone else could reproduce it. Coach students on scientific and technical writing, prepare them for presenting, live judging and defending their research in competitions.

Required Qualifications

Must have a completed PhD in aerospace or aeronautical engineering, or a closely related field (mechanical engineering with an aero focus, astrodynamics, fluid mechanics, propulsion).
Peer-reviewed publications in aerospace or an adjacent area.
Hands-on experience with at least one of: wind-tunnel or flight testing, building and flying UAVs or rockets, spacecraft hardware or operations, or validated CFD and structural simulation against experiment.
Working fluency in Python or MATLAB for analysis; familiarity with at least one aerodynamics, CFD, or orbital-mechanics tool and one CAD package.
Experience teaching, mentoring, or tutoring students, ideally high schoolers or early undergraduates.
Able to explain lift, a Reynolds number, a confidence interval, and why one successful flight is not a result to a 15-year-old, patiently, more than once.
Reliable availability for weekday evening or weekend sessions in U.S. time zones. All sessions are remote.
Legally authorized to work as an independent contractor in the U.S. – must be US citizen of Green Card holder.