ECLSS Water Purification and Quality Monitoring Engineer

Do you want to make a difference immediately? Are you ready you use your experience in water purification for Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) Systems the task of providing next generation life support solutions? Can you excel in that team environment and carry your share of the load while also relying on others to do their part? If this sounds like you, we want you to join Paragon Space Development Corporation now.

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supporting or leading small groups in an R&D and flight settings to develop next generation water processing, water recovery, mass exchange, and water quality monitoring systems for space and defense products.
• Designing systems and hardware which utilize selective transport membranes, including but not limited to: ionomers, proton exchange membranes, expanded PTFE, reverse osmosis, filtration, desalination, or other permselective membranes
• Working with system solutions that address biological, organic and inorganic contaminants, and associated monitoring of those contaminants.
• Generating and implementing first principles-based models and applying them to fluid flow or mass transfer component sizing activities.
• Development of the manufacturing methods, materials, and processes required to integrate solutions into engineered products.
• Development of test plans and procedures in a test environment.
• Specification of the test configurations, sensors, and data acquisition associated with water purification performance characterization.
• Using your knowledge of designing experiments, data analysis, and scientific testing methodologies to solve problems in support of manufacturing operations
• Interpreting and analyzing results, recognizing erroneous or unexpected results, and making suggestions on the path forward based on your analysis and conclusions.

The following is required for this role:

• US Citizen or US permanent resident

The following is preferred for this role:

• A detailed understanding and proficiency in water purification and quality monitoring systems for spacecraft.
• Performance evaluation of water purification and quality monitoring systems in a laboratory setting
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Bio-mechanical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field and 5-8 years with system and/or hardware design and analysis experience
• Master's degree in Mechanical, Bio-mechanical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field and 4-6 years with system and/or hardware design and analysis experience
• PhD degree in Mechanical, Bio-mechanical, Aerospace Engineering or equivalent field and 0-2 years with system and /or hardware design experience in the aerospace industry

One or more of the following are desirable skills for role:

Core Engineering and Technical Skills

• Water Purification & Treatment Technologies
  • Filtration (e.g., eg, microporous and selective transport membranes)
  • Chemical treatment (e.g., iodine, silver, hydrogen peroxide, Oxone)
  • Electrochemical water purification

• Wastewater Recovery & Processing
  • Gray water and urine processing
  • Phase separation in variable- or micro-gravity
  • Bioreactors and biofiltration
  • Membrane-based water recovery

• Chemical and Biological Contaminant Management
  • Detection and removal of organic and inorganic contaminants
  • Microbial growth control and biofilm prevention
  • Toxicity and pathogen monitoring
• Systems Engineering
  • Integration of water recovery systems into spacecraft/habitat ECLSS
  • Automation and remote monitoring for autonomous operation
  • Redundancy and failure mitigation strategies
• Material Science and Compatibility
  • Corrosion resistance and material degradation in space environments
  • Chemical compatibility of plumbing and storage materials

Space Systems and Operations Knowledge

• Microgravity Fluid Mechanics
  • Capillary-driven flow and phase separation
  • Condensation and water collection in microgravity
• Closed-Loop Life Support Systems
  • Integration of water systems with oxygen regeneration and CO scrubbing
  • Interfacing with plant-based and bio-regenerative systems
• Spacecraft and Habitat Constraints
  • Mass, power, and volume efficiency considerations
  • Space-rated hardware and reliability requirements

Software & Analytical Skills

• Simulation & Modeling
  • Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for water systems
  • Chemical equilibrium modeling for water treatment
  • Proficiency in one or more of the following:
    • MATLAB, Python, R, Julia
• Sensor & Data Analysis
  • Real-time water quality monitoring
  • Fault detection and predictive maintenance using telemetry

Regulations & Safety

• NASA & International Standards
  • Compliance with NASA's water quality standards
  • International Space Station (ISS) water processing requirements

Interdisciplinary & Problem-Solving Skills

• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
  • Working with chemists and aerospace engineers
  • Coordination with astronaut crew training and operational procedures
• Innovation & Adaptability
  • Developing new water recovery technologies for deep space missions
  • Adapting terrestrial water purification advances for space applications