Fellowship Mentor and Manager (Space Nuclear)

About the role

This position will lead the day-to-day execution, mentorship, and technical coordination of the CSNR Summer Fellowship Program. This role is directly accountable for research quality, mentor coordination, team performance, and overall program delivery. This is a hands-on, on-site leadership role for a technically strong, highly organized professional who thrives in an intensive research environment and is committed to developing early-career talent.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary on-site leader for the Fellowship Program.
  • Manage daily operations, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
  • Ensure alignment between research activities, program objectives, and stakeholder expectations.
  • Maintain a structured, professional, and collaborative research environment.
• Mentorship and Fellow Development
  • Lead and coordinate the mentoring framework for all fellows.
  • Provide direct technical and professional guidance.
  • Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  • Prepare fellows for technical briefings and final presentations.
• Technical Oversight
  • Guide research across propulsion, mission architecture, and thermal systems.
  • Ensure rigor, integration across teams, and quality of final outputs.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Cook with CSNR leadership and participating mentors.
  • Support engagement with NASA, DOE, AFRL national laboratory stakeholders, and academic partners.
  • Ensure professional representation of CSNR in all external interactions.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in Nuclear Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a closely related field.
• Experience leading or overseeing technically rigorous research efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and manage early-career researchers.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to secure a government security background investigation approval to secure appropriate access to government facilities.

Qualifications

• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience with NASA, DOE, or national laboratory programs.
  • Prior leadership of a student research program or fellowship.
  • Familiarity with space nuclear power or propulsion.
  • Active or eligible DOE Q Clearance; active clearance strongly preferred.