Fluid Dynamicist

About the Company

We are a renewable energy and ocean technology company committed to rapidly developing and deploying technologies that will ensure a sustainable future for Earth by unlocking the vast energy potential of its oceans. Our focus is on capturing civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore.

The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon and backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, university endowments, and private investment offices. We operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis.

Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries.

About the Job

As a Fluid Dynamicist, you will help develop, validate, and apply the fast-running physics-based tools that drive Panthalassa’s design, optimization, and fleet deployment decisions. You will work with our Principal Fluid Dynamicist and collaborate closely with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), controls, optimization, mechanical engineering, metocean, and fleet performance teams.

This role focuses on reduced-order and mid-fidelity marine hydrodynamics tools, including boundary element method (BEM) models, fleet deployment simulators, OrcaFlex models, metocean-driven performance analyses, and external-function links to our time-domain device simulators. You will write production-quality engineering code, run analyses, process results, communicate findings, debug model behavior, and identify opportunities to improve our fast-running simulation stack.

The ideal candidate has strong fundamentals in marine hydrodynamics, understands BEM concepts, is highly capable in Python, and can move fluidly between theory, code, simulation results, and engineering decisions. This person will independently own major modeling and simulation workstreams.

Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis. You will own your designs cradle-to-grave, from first concept through fabrication and deployment at sea. If you are an excellent engineer, regardless of your background, we want you to apply.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, validate, and apply fast-running hydrodynamics models used for design, optimization, controls, and fleet deployment analysis.
• Work with boundary element method models, reduced-order hydrodynamic models, fleet deployment simulators, and OrcaFlex models.
• Develop Python engineering tools to interface with modeling codes written in Julia and Python.
• Build and maintain external-function links, data interfaces, and workflow glue between hydrodynamics models, simulation tools, optimization pipelines, and analysis scripts.
• Run analyses using metocean reanalysis data, measured ocean data, sea-state statistics, wave spectra, current profiles, and other environmental inputs.
• Process, visualize, and interpret simulation results to evaluate power, propulsion, structural loading, motion, operability, survivability, and other performance metrics.
• Compare fast-running model outputs against CFD, experimental data, sea-trial data, OrcaFlex results, and higher-fidelity simulations.
• Identify and debug issues in hydrodynamic models, simulation workflows, input datasets, post-processing scripts, and coupled simulation interfaces.
• Collaborate within the CFD team to understand where high-fidelity results can improve reduced-order models and where reduced-order tools can guide CFD validation priorities.
• Collaborate with optimization and controls teams to ensure that fast-running tools are accurate, robust, and useful for design-space exploration and operational decision-making.
• Develop new analysis methods and identify additional uses for fast-running simulation tools across the company.
• Write clear documentation, technical notes, plots, and presentations that communicate methods, assumptions, results, limitations, and recommendations.
• Use modern software and AI-assisted development tools effectively to accelerate coding, debugging, analysis, and documentation while maintaining strong engineering judgment and code review discipline.

Required Qualifications

• Legal authorization to work in the United States.
• Bachelor’s degree in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field.
• Strong foundation in fluid mechanics, marine hydrodynamics, waves, rigid body dynamics, and physics-based modeling.
• Strong proficiency in Python for scientific computing, engineering analysis, data processing, and tool development.
• Understanding of boundary element method concepts and their application to marine hydrodynamics.
• Ability to run simulations, process results, identify anomalies, debug issues, and communicate findings clearly.
• Experience with numerical modeling, reduced-order modeling, simulation tool development, or scientific software development.
• Working knowledge of Linux environments, Git-based workflows, and engineering software development practices.
• Ability to collaborate with CFD, controls, mechanical, software, metocean, and test teams to resolve modeling and simulation issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong first-principles engineering judgment and the ability to understand model assumptions, limitations, and appropriate use cases.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a similar field.
• Experience with frequency-domain and/or time-domain BEM methods.
• Experience with OrcaFlex, WAMIT, Capytaine, Nemoh, AQWA, or similar hydrodynamic modeling tools.
• Experience linking external functions, plugins, or custom models into larger simulation environments.
• Experience with Julia, especially for scientific computing or simulation.
• Experience with device-state simulation, time-domain simulation, controls simulation, or optimization workflows.
• Experience interpreting, validating, or collaborating around CFD simulation results.
• Experience with metocean reanalysis datasets, measured ocean data, wave spectra, environmental contours, or fleet deployment simulations.
• Experience validating reduced-order models against CFD, wave basin data, tow tank data, sea-trial data, or field measurements.
• Experience with data visualization, dashboarding, automated reports, or performance-monitoring tools.
• Experience with software engineering practices for scientific code, including testing, documentation, version control, packaging, and code review.
• Experience with marine energy systems, offshore structures, floating bodies, propulsion, mooring systems, or autonomous marine systems.
• Experience in startup environments or fast-paced R&D teams; comfortable with ambiguity, proactive in shaping work, and adaptable to change.

The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.

Additional Requirements

• Occasional extended hours or weekend work to support key milestones, sea trials, fleet operations, or urgent design decisions.
• Strong preference for candidates based in Portland, Oregon. Exceptional remote candidates will be considered, with regular travel to Portland expected.

The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.

Compensation and Benefits

If hired for this full-time role, you will receive:

• Cash compensation of $115,000–$175,000.
• Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity should be far and away the most valuable component of your compensation.
• A benefits package that helps you take care of yourself and your family, including:
  • Flexible paid time off
  • Health insurance (the company pays 100% of gold level PPO plan for full time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Dental insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Vision insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Disability insurance (the company pays 100% for a policy to provide long-term financial support if you become disabled)
  • Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA
• Relocation assistance to facilitate your move to Portland (if needed).

Location

Our offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon.