Full-time | On-site in the Research Triangle area, North Carolina | Reports to the Scientific and Technical Director LH3M is developing a cryopump and sorption collector for lunar gases. Initial work uses small loads of standard helium, predominantly He-4, followed by controlled mixed-gas experiments. We seek an engineer or experimental physicist with substantial hands-on experience designing, commissioning and troubleshooting low-temperature apparatus. You will own the collector's cryogenic and thermal performance. Evaluate commercial cryopumps and refrigeration hardware, develop cold surfaces and sorbent assemblies, and determine how collected gas can be retained and recovered through controlled regeneration. Responsibilities Assess commercial cryopump suitability, required operating temperatures, cooling capacity, access and modification constraints. Develop thermal budgets, shielding, supports, thermal interfaces, temperature sensing and control with the systems engineer. Evaluate staged capture of water, nitrogen and oxygen while measuring helium transmission, retention and losses. Design and conduct tests of capture efficiency, sorption capacity, breakthrough, regeneration and recovery over repeated cycles. Commission cold and vacuum systems, diagnose performance limits, and establish documented operating and safety procedures. Required experience Degree in mechanical engineering, physics, applied physics or a related field, or equivalent specialist experience. Demonstrated personal responsibility for helium-temperature cryogenic apparatus, including cooldowns, thermometry, thermal troubleshooting and vacuum operation. Working knowledge of conduction and radiation heat loads, vacuum practices, leak detection and gas handling. Ability to design quantitative experiments, assess uncertainty and explain results clearly. Relevant industrial and research experience are both welcome. Preferred experience Cryopumps, adsorption or sorption, cryocoolers, cold traps, residual gas analysis, and gas inventory measurements. Experience modifying commercial equipment is especially valuable. A PhD is welcome but not required. What success looks like A defensible cold-system design and repeatable measurements showing where helium goes during capture, retention and regeneration, with thermal limits and losses understood. Provide a résumé and describe a cryogenic system you personally commissioned or modified, including a performance problem you diagnosed.

Pay:

$125,000.00 - $155,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Paid time off

Work Location:

In person