Aerodynamics Expert (AI Response Evaluation)

What you'll do

The model is set hard aerodynamics problems spanning external aero, CFD, wind tunnel testing, propulsion and vehicle aero, and your job is to solve them yourself and judge whether its answers hold up. Some are practical design scenarios, some are theoretical questions; all of them need an engineer's sense of whether a number is physically plausible.

The ad names the techniques you will reason with: boundary-layer theory, potential flow analysis, compressible flow relations, and reducing CFD and wind tunnel data. Typical catches are a model applying an incompressible assumption where Mach effects matter, misreading a drag polar, or quoting a lift coefficient that its own working does not support. You write clear explanations (and sometimes give verbal ones) of where the reasoning failed, which feed back into improving the model, and you work alongside a distributed team of other experts.

There is no mention of running scripted CFD cases, Python or coding agents; the work is evaluation and explanation.

Who fits

• A bachelor's degree or higher in aerospace engineering, or ME with a thermofluids or aero specialisation; or a BS in aerospace or ME with 3+ years of relevant industry experience
• At least 3 years hands-on in aerodynamic design or analysis (external aero, CFD, wind tunnel, propulsion or vehicle aero)
• Expert compressible and incompressible flow, boundary layers, turbulence modelling and propulsion-integration aerodynamics
• Performance analysis using CFD tools, wind tunnel data reduction and hand or analytical methods
• Familiarity with AIAA standards, wind tunnel test protocols and CFD verification and validation
• Professional English with excellent written and verbal communication

A plus: ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+ or OpenFOAM, wind tunnel testing, or flight-test data analysis.

Strongly preferred is evidence of rigorous problem authoring: olympiad problem committees, textbook problem sets or solutions manuals, NCEES or qualifying-exam item writing, AIAA standards committees, top placements or team leadership in AIAA Design/Build/Fly, SAE Aero Design, NASA RASC-AL or DARPA challenges, best-paper awards at AIAA SciTech or Aviation, APS DFD, JFM or AIAA Journal, early-career awards such as NSF CAREER or DARPA YFA, or AIAA Associate Fellow or NAE Frontiers of Engineering recognition.

What it pays

$60–130/hour is the published band, but compensation is output-based: you are paid per task that meets the project specifications, with a weekly minimum number of submissions that the ad does not quantify. The band is wide and nothing says what decides where you land in it. Weekly hours and project length are not stated.

How it differs from the other Aerodynamics Expert listing

micro1's other Aerodynamics Expert listing pays $80–150/hour and is coding-heavy: building and running scripted CFD cases from the command line in Python with coding agents, with 100 openings. This posting is a separate project centred on evaluating AI answers, with a lower floor, a slightly lower ceiling, a 3-year hands-on experience requirement, a strong preference for problem-authoring credentials, and only one opening.

Worth knowing

Good:

• No coding required, so GUI-based CFD users and wind tunnel engineers qualify
• A BS plus 3 years is enough on paper
• Competition, committee and publication credentials count directly
• Fully remote with no country restriction

Less good:

• A single opening, so competition will be stiff
• Per-task pay with an unquantified weekly minimum; rejected tasks are unpaid
• A wide band with no published basis for placement
• Fast start expected: roles fill in about 48 hours, first tasks due 24–48 hours after onboarding
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal about two months before we read it on 24 September 2026, and still flagged high demand. The $60–130/hour band, the single opening, the qualifications and the per-task compensation terms are its published text. Location is Remote with no country list, and the customer is not named. Payment schedule and method are not published on the listing. See micro1.