Controls Research Scientist, Principal

Company: Lockheed Martin
Location: Stanford
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Do YOU have the ability to conceive, design, and build sophisticated control systems from first principles and requirements definition to flight performance validation? Learn more about Our Advanced Technology Center The coolest jobs on this planet… or any other… are with Lockheed Martin Space. At the dawn of a new space age, Lockheed Martin is a pioneer, partner, innovator and builder. Our amazing people are on a mission to make a difference in the world and every single day we use our unique skills and experiences to create, design and build solutions to some of the worlds’ hardest engineering problems. Do you want to be part of a culture that inspires employees to think big, perform with excellence and build incredible products? We provide the resources, inspiration and focus - if you have the passion and courage to dream big, then we want to build a better tomorrow with you. Roles & Responsibilities: • Control system design and analysis for precision aerospace mechanisms. • Support programs performing research and product development encompassing multiple engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, optics, and controls engineering. • Project support includes design and development of advanced quantum-sensing-based guidance and navigation algorithms; design and development of advanced pointing and stabilization systems for spacecraft, payloads, and next generation large segmented optical telescopes; design and development of controls test beds and related facilities to demonstrate pointing and stabilization system performance, and control system synthesis and analysis. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with the control of high-bandwidth precision mechanisms through design and test, understand space environments, and work well in a dynamic multi-disciplinary environment. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in aerospace or mechanical engineering with at least 10 years of professional experience. Candidate must be a US Person (US Citizen or Green Card holder). Must be able to communicate effectively with all team members, possess good time management and organizational skills and be willing and able to work in a dynamic and collaborative R&D environment. LI-DJ1 • Experience in generating Simulink models and performing time-domain and frequency-domain analyses using Matlab's Simulink is required. • Strong background in research and development of control systems for mechanical and electro-mechanical systems, in particular precision mechanisms and guidance & navigation systems applied to aerospace. • Advanced knowledge of classical and state-space optimal control methods as well as knowledge of the state-of-the-art in mechanism technologies. • Knowledge of rigid- and flexible-body dynamics, vibrations, ability to generate and code complex multi-rigid-body dynamics models from first principles in Newtonian mechanics. • Required graduate curriculum include multi rigid-body dynamics and kinematics, vibrations, linear systems theory, classical control, optimal control, digital control, Kalman filtering and estimation, statistics, vector calculus, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, numerical linear algebra, numerical analysis. Desired skills • A strong interest in control system development and design work, and ability to justify decisions with analysis and simulations based on first principles physics understanding is a must. • Advanced mathematical education and strong analytical skills at the graduate level. • Knowledge of quantum mechanics basics, geometric optics, electro-magnetism, wave mechanics, electro-mechanical systems including motor drive electronics and sensor signal processing, passive and active vibration isolation systems, orbital mechanics. • Desired additional graduate curriculum include electrical circuits, non-linear optimization, convex optimization, robust control, digital signal processing and spectral analysis, calculus of variations, stochastic calculus, numerical integration methods. • Experience with real-time embedded software programming and real-time operating systems is a plus. Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics. The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration. * Join us at Lockheed Martin, where your mission is ours. Our customers tackle the hardest missions. Those that demand extraordinary amounts of courage, resilience and precision. They’re dangerous. Critical. Sometimes they even provide an opportunity to change the world and save lives. Those are the missions we care about. As a leading technology innovation company, Lockheed Martin’s vast team works with partners around the world to bring proven performance to our customers’ toughest challenges. Lockheed Martin has employees based in many states throughout the U.S., and Internationally, with business locations in many nations and territories. Other Important Information By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings. Ability to work remotely Onsite Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Lockheed Martin facility. Work Schedule Information Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits. Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $157,800 - $278,185. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer. Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. (Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year. This position is incentive plan eligible. Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $181,400 - $314,525. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer. Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. This position is incentive plan eligible.

Keywords: Lockheed Martin, Davis , Controls Research Scientist, Principal, Engineering , Stanford, California