Starting to look for a job - Research/Engineering

[OsuMj]

I recently started my job search and am hoping that some of you may have some suggestions for companies to look at.  I know about some of the bigger companies that have jobs available, but if you know of any smaller companies that I should check out, I would really appreciate your input! 

I have a PhD in mechanical engineering (BS, MS in mech eng with a math minor), and wrote my dissertation on thermoelectric (semiconductor) materials, electronic/thermal effects with a focus on thermal conductivity.  I've got some experience in project management in construction activities as well.

Edited November 3, 2014 by OsuMj

[Casper]

Honda? Hwilli can get you in touch with Jesse.

[ReconRat]

I was kinda thinking Raytheon, Harris, Lockheed, Motorola etc.... Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Skip California, look in Texas and Florida and North Carolina

 

http://www.indeed.com/q-PhD-Mechanical-Engineer-jobs.html

 

can you do finite element analysis? - solidworks?

Edited November 3, 2014 by ReconRat

[jbot]

i would like you to design me a indestructible titanium chicken nugget plz.  i will pay handsomely.

[mello dude]

I recently started my job search and am hoping that some of you may have some suggestions for companies to look at.  I know about some of the bigger companies that have jobs available, but if you know of any smaller companies that I should check out, I would really appreciate your input! 

I have a PhD in mechanical engineering (BS, MS in mech eng with a math minor), and wrote my dissertation on thermoelectric (semiconductor) materials, electronic/thermal effects with a focus on thermal conductivity.  I've got some experience in project management in construction activities as well.

What about Batelle? Or DoD focused companys...Maybe around Wright Patterson AFB Dayton.  - PhD mechanical engineer? Yeow! Heady stuff!

[OsuMj]

Honda? Hwilli can get you in touch with Jesse.

 

I applied to one Honda job - it was a materials research job.  I'm not sure how attractive my resume will look to them for some of their other positions because I don't have any vehicle project experience.  I'm keeping an eye on their posted jobs though.

 

I was kinda thinking Raytheon, Harris, Lockheed, Motorola etc.... Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Skip California, look in Texas and Florida and North Carolina

 

http://www.indeed.com/q-PhD-Mechanical-Engineer-jobs.html

 

can you do finite element analysis? - solidworks?

 

I'm trying to stick in Ohio for a bit because of some family stuff that I'm helping with.  I learned solid works almost 10 years ago but I'm pretty sure I could pick it up quickly again.  I've only been exposed to FEA in small doses. 

What I can do well is X-ray diffraction, qualitative x-ray fluorescence, flash diffusivity, specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal and electrical transport measurements including seebeck, nernst, and hall coefficient, electrical conductivity/resistivity, and thermal expansion.  I also am pretty good at reading and interpreting phase diagrams to come up with good thermal treatments for materials. I've been working with volatile materials for a few years too.  This was for my graduate work. 

When I was in undergrad I was a project manager intern, where I organized construction activities and worked with lab managers to help design different solutions to laboratory issues.  I also was part of a project team that designed and installed a rain water collection system for an orphanage that raised their own livestock, so I'm hoping some of that helps with showing that I'm not just useful in the lab, but with other projects too.

 

i would like you to design me a indestructible titanium chicken nugget plz.  i will pay handsomely.

 

 

odd request.

 

What about Batelle? Or DoD focused companys...Maybe around Wright Patterson AFB Dayton.  - PhD mechanical engineer? Yeow! Heady stuff!

 

Battelle is looking for polymer scientists right now and unfortunately I don't fall in that category. I started checking out Wright Patt jobs this week and found 1 or 2 to apply for.

Thanks everyone for your input.  I really appreciate the ideas!

Edited November 4, 2014 by OsuMj

[jporter12]

I know it's not Ohio, but not far away, maybe GM?  Ok, the other American manufacturers, too.  Detroit is only a few hours away, I was just up there last week.  The GM tech center is HUGE!

[OsuMj]

I know it's not Ohio, but not far away, maybe GM?  Ok, the other American manufacturers, too.  Detroit is only a few hours away, I was just up there last week.  The GM tech center is HUGE!

I've been checking out Ford and GM's career sites.  I was hesitating because its far enough away that I'll have to get a place up there.  That would be alright if I like the job enough

 

I might get disowned from my family if I work for GM too.  My dad and grandpa both worked for Ford... Ford family!

Edited November 4, 2014 by OsuMj

[JohnG]

Lurk on Linkedin.  Update your profile and then check out their selections.  Stay away from head hunters and placement agencies.  Patronize professional resources.  Listen a lot.  Network, network, network.  And perhaps the most important part.  Know what you want before you ask for it.  If you are assured and decisive about what you want and where you want to be in 5 to 10 years, it will speak volumes for you.

 

Good luck.

[Limitedslip7]

PhD in Eng? Jebus... You're either a glutton for punishment or really F'n smart. Are you going to go for your PE license now? 

 

Look into the GE aircraft engine division in Cincinnati, sounds like your degree might be a good fit for them. 

Edited November 4, 2014 by Limitedslip7

[madcat6183]

My friend that works at Honda has some similar degree/post schooling and worked for Nasa in CLE and then got transfered to KY and then took a job with Honda.  Said he prefers Honda over the others, and dude makes bank.  Wife has never worked a day in their lives, he has had 3 houses built, 1 in each area, and the new one in Marysville is unreal.  Then his toys, quads, a dune buggy, all new cars, man cave that makes my living room look like a dump.  Takes all kinds of trips for hunting, boating(he has a boat forgot), etc.

 

Good luck hope you make it like he did.

[OsuMj]

Lurk on Linkedin.  Update your profile and then check out their selections.  Stay away from head hunters and placement agencies.  Patronize professional resources.  Listen a lot.  Network, network, network.  And perhaps the most important part.  Know what you want before you ask for it.  If you are assured and decisive about what you want and where you want to be in 5 to 10 years, it will speak volumes for you.

 

Good luck.

 

I keep LinkedIn up to date all the time and have come across a couple of leads on there as well.  I'm still sorting out what exactly it is that I want, but I do know most of what I don't want.  Ideally, I would like to be doing some sort of green energy research or design, but I find a lot of different areas enjoyable.

 

PhD in Eng? Jebus... You're either a glutton for punishment or really F'n smart. Are you going to go for your PE license now? 

 

Look into the GE aircraft engine division in Cincinnati, sounds like your degree might be a good fit for them. 

I work hard and enjoy science so it wasn't bad at all.  I can say that I enjoyed most of my time in grad school.  I haven't gotten my PE because generally speaking its a step you take after getting your BS so that you can pursue a career path that allows you to sign off on plans.  Since I went the research route, I didn't see the immediate value in pursuing this.  I had to take 'qualifying exams' to get into the phd program, which establishes that I have a graduate level understanding of undergraduate material, so I think with a little studying I could pass the FE if I need it in the future.

I'm keeping an eye out for GE jobs, but right now they don't have any jobs posted that fit my qualifications.

[OsuMj]

My friend that works at Honda has some similar degree/post schooling and worked for Nasa in CLE and then got transfered to KY and then took a job with Honda.  Said he prefers Honda over the others, and dude makes bank.  Wife has never worked a day in their lives, he has had 3 houses built, 1 in each area, and the new one in Marysville is unreal.  Then his toys, quads, a dune buggy, all new cars, man cave that makes my living room look like a dump.  Takes all kinds of trips for hunting, boating(he has a boat forgot), etc.

 

Good luck hope you make it like he did.

 

Thanks I've been going back and forth between "I don't know if I'm going to be employed, how am I going to pay rent?" and "When I get a job, I'm going to buy xxxx!"   I keep joking that if I can't find a job, when I end up working at Applebees I'm going to start off with "I'm Dr. Michele... what can I get you to drink?"

[ScubaCinci]

GE is building a new building in downtown Cincinnati and will be hiring quite a few people and they have several sites here. What those roles are, I have no idea, but your background seems well suited to the company. I have a friend that works at GE that may be able to get me more info on jobs you see that you may be interested in. Not sure how keen you are in moving to the Cincinnati area but we suck less than Cleveland

[blue03636]

so I think with a little studying I could pass the FE if I need it in the future.

 

The FE is a joke, if you even remotely think you are going to get your PE, take the FE next April. 

[OsuMj]

GE is building a new building in downtown Cincinnati and will be hiring quite a few people and they have several sites here. What those roles are, I have no idea, but your background seems well suited to the company. I have a friend that works at GE that may be able to get me more info on jobs you see that you may be interested in. Not sure how keen you are in moving to the Cincinnati area but we suck less than Cleveland

 

I could make Cincinnati or Cleveland work, but I'll agree with you for now, I think I'd rather work in Cincy.

 

The FE is a joke, if you even remotely think you are going to get your PE, take the FE next April. 

 

noted.

[Mary#17]

My company is looking for Sales/Project Engineer for our industrial blower group.  We will also have an opening soon for our Systems group (pollution control - wet scrubber, incineration etc.). Feel free to PM me if you want.  Located in Middleburg Heights southern suburb of Cleveland right off I-71. 

 

 

http://www.verantis.com/about/careers/

 

Mary

[redkow97]

expert witness 

[Georgia]

Keep an eye open on GE Aviation. They are always hiring. My suggestion would be to get in and then you can move to where you want to go after about a year or two. Hard part is getting hired in. I am at GE currently so if you find a position your interested in, I can always ask around about it or recommend you.

[Pokey]

Nationwide Children's hiring in research by chance?

[ReconRat]

Your thermal and materials background will work for space applications. It's important there. Earth bound rules don't work. So aerospace electronics firms should be on the list. GE should be also, propulsion might be the next big breakthrough. Lockheed is building an atmospheric/exospheric fusion engine the size of an aircraft engine. Yes, a Tokamak in a small container. I hope it works. (It works so far, they are getting excited about it.) Rumor is Lockheed is trying to build something in Florida, but won't say who or what.

 

Watch NASA Glen Research Center in Northern Ohio for openings. Currently zero openings. Argh.

Me too, zero openings at Kennedy Space Center. But Florida space coast is starting to boom with new aerospace.

http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/

 

The list of aerospace companies in Ohio.

http://aerospace.regionaldirectory.us/ohio.htm

 

Sad times. So many good (aerospace) engineering jobs gone from Ohio. But I also recommend the Dayton area for R&D jobs.

Federal list Dayton: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Dayton%2C+Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=true

Federal list Fairborn: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Fairborn%2C+Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=true

Federal list Ohio - Engineering: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=false

Federal list Ohio - Physical Sciences: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=false

 

Dont laugh, I see one Senior Scientist in materials at 145k+.

[Casper]

Get job with government contract, get transferred to Area 51, let us all know if aliens are really there or not. Sound like a plan?

[KZ Kari]

As for green energy, smaller companies - you could try Velocys. 

I believe you were told about my company. If not, feel free to PM me. 

 

As for larger companies, Owens Corning Research and Technology Center in Granville often looks for Ph.Ds in mechanical.

 

I'm sure I know more, just can't think at the moment.

[OsuMj]

My company is looking for Sales/Project Engineer for our industrial blower group.  We will also have an opening soon for our Systems group (pollution control - wet scrubber, incineration etc.). Feel free to PM me if you want.  Located in Middleburg Heights southern suburb of Cleveland right off I-71. 

 

 

http://www.verantis.com/about/careers/

 

Mary

 

Thanks for the tip.  I'll keep my eye on the career site.  I'm hesitant to apply to a sales engineer position because I have zero sales experience.

 

expert witness 

 

If the trial concerns semiconductors, possibly. lol.  I actually had a professor that was an expert witness for the whole tire issue with SUVs rolling over.  pretty neat.

 

Keep an eye open on GE Aviation. They are always hiring. My suggestion would be to get in and then you can move to where you want to go after about a year or two. Hard part is getting hired in. I am at GE currently so if you find a position your interested in, I can always ask around about it or recommend you.

 

There are so many jobs posted on GEs site.  I found one or two that I might apply for.  I've noticed some of the job descriptions are pretty vague, so its hard to tell if I am qualified or not, but it doesn't hurt to apply.

 

Nationwide Children's hiring in research by chance?

I didn't see anything, but I also don't have any bio or medical background.

 

Your thermal and materials background will work for space applications. It's important there. Earth bound rules don't work. So aerospace electronics firms should be on the list. GE should be also, propulsion might be the next big breakthrough. Lockheed is building an atmospheric/exospheric fusion engine the size of an aircraft engine. Yes, a Tokamak in a small container. I hope it works. (It works so far, they are getting excited about it.) Rumor is Lockheed is trying to build something in Florida, but won't say who or what.

 

Watch NASA Glen Research Center in Northern Ohio for openings. Currently zero openings. Argh.

Me too, zero openings at Kennedy Space Center. But Florida space coast is starting to boom with new aerospace.

http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/

 

The list of aerospace companies in Ohio.

http://aerospace.regionaldirectory.us/ohio.htm

 

Sad times. So many good (aerospace) engineering jobs gone from Ohio. But I also recommend the Dayton area for R&D jobs.

Federal list Dayton: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Dayton%2C+Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=true

Federal list Fairborn: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Fairborn%2C+Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=true

Federal list Ohio - Engineering: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=false

Federal list Ohio - Physical Sciences: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search?Keyword=&Location=Ohio&search=Search&AutoCompleteSelected=false

 

Dont laugh, I see one Senior Scientist in materials at 145k+.

 

I was thinking about applying for that Senior Scientist job.  My biggest issue is that I'm not a part of any committees or boards.  After reading through everything, it sounded like if you don't have every qualification they will toss your application.

I didn't know about the aerospace directory! I have basically been using google to find random companies that might need engineers/researchers and then seeing if they have any jobs.  Of course this is after trying LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, etc.

Get job with government contract, get transferred to Area 51, let us all know if aliens are really there or not. Sound like a plan?

 

That was the plan all along.

 

As for green energy, smaller companies - you could try Velocys. 

I believe you were told about my company. If not, feel free to PM me. 

 

As for larger companies, Owens Corning Research and Technology Center in Granville often looks for Ph.Ds in mechanical.

 

I'm sure I know more, just can't think at the moment.

 

I've never heard of Velocys.  I just checked out their website and it looks interesting - thanks! 

I didn't put together who you are here and in real life until recently... haha.  I ended up sending my resume in through the email address on the career site for your company.  This isdefinitely the kind of info I'm looking for because prior to Howard and Eli mentioning it to me, I didn't really know about your company.

I applied to an Owens Corning job, although last time I talked to someone there about a job he implied that my GPA wasn't high enough.  I thought a 3.48 in a PhD program would be ok considering that I was an author on 7 papers, but he asked if it was possible for me to get it above 3.5... so I'm not holding out high hopes for that particular job.

Can't thank you all enough for the suggestions and offers of help!

[ReconRat]

Owens Corning is like a little skunk works. Secret. Serious stuff in materials and processes.

 

edit: my experience with application requirements.... they always ask for more than they want. Gives them room to negotiate and/or reject. But their intent is to hire some one anyway. Usually some one with prior experience to bring in.

Edited November 5, 2014 by ReconRat