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Captain’s Message

The aerospace industry is among the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In 2025, the market size was estimated at 373.6 billion USD and is projected to double by 2035.

At Queen’s Aerospace Design Team (QADT), we are dedicated to pushing boundaries with the development of high performance & autonomous UAVs for national and international competitions in Canada, Europe, and the United States. With the continued growth in industry aerospace applications in recent years, QADT has seen an unparalleled expansion, and our dedicated team of more than 150 undergraduate students has not disappointed.

Last year, the technical team developed 2 brand new UAVs from the ground up to compete at the AEAC 2025 student competition hosted in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Including a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft with a two-axis gimbal to find and map wildfires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to pick-up and drop-off water for autonomous fire extinguishing. While in parallel, the QADT research team wrote two research papers for submission to the IMAV conference paper call and the VFS student design competition. Respectively, these papers focused on the application of DBD plasma actuators to reattach airflow separation and a hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft design to maximize loitering time.

This year, we are going even further with new designs and initiatives as we prepare to expand our technical capabilities and compete in not just the AEAC 2026 student competition, but also the AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition hosted in Wichita, KS, while continuing to publish leading edge research papers.

QADT offers a unique opportunity for development and growth for students in any discipline, including gaining technical experience in Aeromechanics, Electrical, and Software, and the opportunity to conduct research in a variety of unique fields, as well as the chance to gain experience in business and management. QADT is looking to continue its rapid growth and expansion by taking on like-minded and motivated individuals to not just continue the development of advanced drone technology, but push the boundaries of what student teams are capable of.

We eagerly await your application.

‘Aviation is proof that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.’

— Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI flying ace

Queen's Aerospace – Systems Integration Engineering Team Member

Behind every great aircraft there is a dedicated Systems team, organizing the interaction between the plane’s avionics, power and propulsion, software and mechanical systems. The Systems integration team will work closely with Aero-mechanics to make key decisions regarding the aerodynamic and structural design of the aircraft.

With the 2025/2026 year ushering the first ever QADT systems integration team, members will have the opportunity to gain skills relevant to the aerospace industry, and through deliberate workshops will learn everything they need to be an effective member of the team. Through this team, members will gain a broad understanding of the mechanical, electrical and software considerations involved in Aerospace design, from ideation to execution.

The Systems Integration team is responsible for the electrical and software components of the aircraft, ensuring all onboard systems communicate reliably and perform as intended. As a member of this team, you will work on avionics, wiring, sensor integration, and control software, bridging the gap between hardware and software to deliver a competition-ready aircraft.

What You Can Expect This Year

• Electrical System Design & Assembly: Design, build, and maintain wiring harnesses, connectors, and power distribution systems for avionics and payload systems.
  
  
• Software Development & Testing: Write, debug, and deploy software for data acquisition, control, and telemetry.
  
  
• Sensor & Actuator Integration: Interface sensors (GPS, IMUs, airspeed sensors, etc.) and actuators (servos, motors, payload release mechanisms) with onboard electronics to allow for data acquisition and logging.
  
  
• System-Level Testing: Conduct bench tests, integration tests, and flight tests to ensure system reliability and performance.
  
  
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve electrical or software issues quickly during prototyping and at competition.

Application & Interview Details

We do not look at your resume as a deciding factor. We weigh it the least compared to your written application and interview.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: September 11th, 2025 (11:59 PM EST)

Interviews will occur online after the deadline. We are happy to provide accommodations for these interviews, so please reach out to us and let us know how we can make the process more accessible for you!

Contact Information

Please email any questions or concerns to aero @engsoc.queensu.ca or text @queensaero on Instagram!