aQuatonomous - Mechanical Hiring

🚤🔧 Mechanical Co-Director Hiring – aQuatonomous Design Team 🔧🚤

aQuatonomous is a multidisciplinary student engineering design team at Queen’s University focused on building autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) for international competition. We compete annually at RoboBoat, designing and building boats capable of fully autonomous operation in real-world environments.

As we prepare for the 2026–2027 season, we are hiring two Mechanical Co-Directors to lead the design, manufacturing, and integration of the physical platform.

The Mechanical Team is responsible for designing and building the boat itself, ensuring it is robust, lightweight, and capable of supporting all electrical and software systems.

This includes everything from the hull and structural design to the mounting systems that integrate the autonomy and electrical components.

As a Mechanical Co-Director, you will lead the design and fabrication of the boat and its supporting structures, working closely with electrical and software teams to ensure full system integration.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and construction of the boat and catamaran platform
• Design and manufacture composite structures (e.g., fiberglass layups)
• Work on 3D printing and rapid prototyping for custom components
• Develop structural systems to support:
  • Electrical systems
  • Autonomy hardware (Jetson, sensors, etc.)
• Design mounts, enclosures, and peripherals for all onboard systems
• Ensure the boat meets competition requirements and constraints
• Support testing, iteration, and physical integration of all subsystems

This is your chance to:

• Build a real, competition-ready autonomous boat
• Get hands-on experience with composites, CAD, and fabrication
• Work closely with electrical and software to bring the full system together
• See your designs come to life on the water

Application Deadline: April 25th, 2026
Term: May 2026 – May 2027
Time Commitment: ~10–15 hours/week (increases during build & testing)

For questions about the position or application process, please contact:

Email: aquatonomous @engsoc.queensu.ca