SpearrinLab
laser spectroscopy, reacting flows
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Join Us
The Spearrin Lab employs graduate students, undergraduates, and other personnel to support our active research program in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UCLA. All research positions involve experimental activities that include applied optics and fluid handling for reacting flows. Procedural details for applying to each active position are detailed further below.
List of Openings
PhD students are at the core of our research program. We are seeking experimentally-inclined, hard-working graduate students to convert new ideas into practice and advance the fields of laser spectroscopy and gas dynamics. Our research is conducive to students with backgrounds in physics as well as traditional mechanical and aerospace thermal-fluid curricula at the bachelors or masters level. Prospective students should apply to the MAE department and indicate Prof. Spearrin as a possible advisor in the application. Students should also email Prof. Spearrin at spearrin@ucla.edu with your resume/CV and a short description of your interests in the field of research. It is best to contact Prof. Spearrin prior to admissions decisions. Students currently enrolled in the masters program at UCLA may also contact Prof. Spearrin to schedule a meeting to discuss interest in the lab. Research funding typically supports tuition and a living stipend for graduate students, but it is highly encouraged to also seek external fellowships.
We seek to employ postdoctoral scholars interested in preparing for a career in academia or gaining new expertise in laser spectroscopy and physical gas dynamics. Postdoctoral appointments are nominally for a two-year period, and typically include a more diverse mix of responsibilities relative to graduate students. Postdocs are expected to provide technical leadership and graduate student mentoring and further assist in proposal writing, teaching, and project management. Postdocs are often sought to support specific projects as well that require more than one graduate student researcher. Candidate postdocs should contact Prof. Spearrin at spearrin@ucla.edu with your CV and a short description of your interests in our research.
Graduate students that aim to complete their education at the Masters level, as opposed to continuing towards the PhD, are sought to assist in research activities. Experimental activities in the Spearrin Lab are a strong training ground for engineers that intend to join industry in areas of testing, instrumentation, data analysis, and product development. Terminal masters students may work in the lab on a paid or volunteer basis to gain hands-on experience with aero-thermal systems or in progress towards a masters thesis. Typically employment will be part-time, with the exception of summer. The structure of the arrangement will be determined based on time commitment and contribution to sponsored research. Interested students should contact Prof. Spearrin at spearrin@ucla.edu with your resume/CV and a short description of your interests in the field of research.
Conducting research as an undergraduate student enables the application of classroom knowledge to real world problems, and better prepares the student for industry or graduate school. The Spearrin Lab seeks undergraduate students to assist in research primarily during the summer quarter on a full-time basis. Summer students will have the opportunity to assist graduate students in their research. Learning opportunities include experiment setup and execution as well as data acquisition and analysis. Some undergraduate students may be given the opportunity to continue research in the lab during the academic school year on a part-time basis. Interested students should contact Prof. Spearrin at spearrin@ucla.edu with your resume/CV and a short description of your interests in the field of research.
More Questions?
Contacts
Spearrin LaboratoryEngineering VI, Room 336 east
Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
spearrin@ucla.edu