Position Overview
The student hourly research assistant will support the on-going research at the KU Flight Research Laboratory at the KU airport facilities north of Lawrence. Normal hours are up to 10 hours/week during the semester, 30 hours/week during winter break, and 40 hours/week during the summer.
Successful candidates will have strong computer skills with experience in flight dynamics and control, programming languages and working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Candidates should also have written and verbal communication skills, organizational and interpersonal skills, as well as being self-motivated, reliable, and work well as part of a team.
This position will perform a wide range of duties dependent upon a unit's needs.
Job Description20%Assist with design, fabrication, and control of unmanned aerial systems (UASs).
20%Flight test preparation.
20%Conducting flight tests and performing post-test analysis.
20%Perform flight test simulations.
20%Developing numerical and optimization analysis.
Required Qualifications

• During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must: 1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or 2) be pre-enrolled in upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or 3) be enrolled in summer session or 4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students. (Exceptions granted for GRA/GTA/GA appointments DO NOT apply to Student Hourly appointments).
• Experience with Flight Dynamics and Flight Control as determined by previous coursework.
• Previous work experience with MATLAB/Simulink as evidenced in application materials.
• Previous work experience with AAA or AVL as evidenced in application materials.
• Be a junior, senior, or graduate student in Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• Have source of transportation to KU airport facilities, as evidenced in application materials (cover letter).

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on flight test experience, as evidenced in application materials.
• Experience with ROS and real-time systems as evidenced in application materials.
• UAS flight test engineering experience as demonstrated in application materials.
• Experience in estimation and optimization methods, as evidenced in application materials.
• US Citizen or permanent resident (per requirements of some grants for core funding).
• Work Study Eligible.
• Minimum KU GPA of 3.0

Additional Candidate Instructions
A complete application consists of the online application, cover letter, and resume. Only complete applications will be considered.
Application review begins on 6/21/2024 and will continue until a qualified pool of candidates has been identified.
Contact Information to Applicants
Amy Borton
aborton@ku.edu
Advertised Salary Range
$13.00/hour Commensurate with Experience
Work Schedule
During the school year hours are flexible up to 10 hours weekly. During Winter Break hours can be up to 30 hours weekly. Summer hours can be up to 40 hours weekly.
Anticipated Start Date
Monday June 24, 2024