LASP Careers

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is a University of Colorado space research lab at the Boulder campus. As an Institute of CU-Boulder, LASP is at the international forefront of space science research in solar, planetary, atmospheric and space plasma physics. LASP’s record of excellence in space instrument and spacecraft construction, mission operations, and science data analysis for Earth, planetary, and deep space missions is supported by organizational expertise in space-flight electronics, mechanisms, detectors, and optics across a wide spectral range, including sensors for energetic particle, dust, electric field, and magnetic field measurements. For more information on LASP’s past and current missions visit https://lasp.colorado.edu/our-legacy/missions/
 

Job Description

The LASP Electrical Engineering students work under the mentorship of senior engineers with a wide experience base in the design, analysis, fabrication, integration, and testing of spaceflight hardware for the aerospace industry. Students will get practical, hands-on training in hardware handling and lab best practices along with experience with design and test of hardware in support of a LASP science mission. They will have direct responsibility for their design and the documentation required to build their hardware while following a project’s development schedule and LASP standard practices. LASP programs are a unique opportunity that allow LASP undergraduate student employees to get real world experience as they work as part of a team developing space flight hardware. 

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Specific job functions may include, but are not limited to:
• Design, Layout, and Test PCBs for GSE.
• Parts stress analysis of flight electronics designs.
• Order parts by interfacing with the LASP production team and outside vendors as necessary, often performing production steps on GSE parts and assemblies.
• Prepare procedures and conduct tests on flight and/or development hardware. Tests may include board level test, mechanism life testing, thermal vacuum testing, and system performance testing.
• Create engineering reports, and present design plans to project team for review.

What We Require

• Enrolled full-time undergraduate student completing a BS/BA in Electrical Engineering or Engineering or other Applied Sciences.
• School Experience: Undergraduate
     o Preferred but not required: Sophomore or Junior Standing (2nd or 3rd year)
• GPA: 3.0 or higher
• Work Commitment:
     o Able to work 10-20 hrs/week while classes are in session and 40 hrs/week in the summer with opportunities to work up to 40 hrs/week during other school breaks.
     o Able to commit for a minimum of one year (two semesters and one summer), with the option to extend based on performance and need.
• Due to US Export Control restrictions, only US Citizens and Permanent Residents may apply.
 

What We’d Like You to Have

• Experience with PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design and layout tools. Particularly, experience with schematic capture and layout in Altium is strongly desired.
• Experience performing electrical tests and characterization using equipment such as oscilloscopes and DMMs.
• Experience with circuit analysis tools such as LTSpice.
• Experience or coursework completed in several of the following hardware areas: Power electronics, FPGA/ HDL development (VHDL, Verilog), FPGA testing, digital and analog circuit design including schematic capture and layout, circuit analysis, circuit simulation.
• Experience with electrical assembly work (soldering) on cables and/or PCBs.
• Strong debugging skills (hardware and/or software)
• Experience with engineering software like: AMD Xilinx Vivado/ Vitis, ModelSim, Altium, OrCAD, SolidWorks, Eagle, KiCAD

To Apply
This position is currently only open to CU Boulder undergraduate students. Please visit the job posting on Handshake to submit your application before the posting closes on 10/10/2026.

Pay Rate:
$20-26.00/hr

Equal Employment Opportunity:
The University of Colorado Boulder is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including veterans, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or disability.