Please read through the entire description!
Captain’s Message
The aerospace industry is among the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In 2025, the market size was estimated at 402.75 billion USD and is projected to double by 2034.
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.
This year, the AEAC technical team developed 2 UAVs from the ground up to compete at the AEAC 2026 student competition hosted in Ottawa. Including a 3D printed airframe VTOL to map for urban fires, as well as a heavy-lift quadcopter designed to autonomously extinguish fires indoor and outdoor using a water gun. The AIAA technical team developed a fully carbon fiber fixed wing aircraft optimized for long range cargo flights and banner towing. 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 compliant airfoils on efficiency gains in flight and conversion of a tilt rotor aircraft to a hybrid electric engine to prove the feasibility of electrifying the aerospace industry.
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
 Erin Payne Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28 |  Purujit Kantiya Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering ‘28 |
Welcome to the Autonomy Team at QADT! The Autonomy sub-team is responsible for software systems that allow the aircraft to sense, decide, and execute missions to meet competition requirements competing in the autonomous missions. This includes flight logic, mission planning, navigation, and real-time decision-making integrated directly with onboard avionics hardware.
For the 2026 – 2027 SAE Aero competition, the Autonomy team will develop a reliable autonomous flight system for QADT’s fixed-wing aircraft. SAE Aero challenges teams to complete mission-based flight tasks such as precision navigation, payload delivery, endurance performance, and repeatable flight patterns under strict constraints. The Autonomy team makes sure these missions can be executed reliably and safely through well-designed software and control logic.
As a member of the executive team, the Autonomy Manager will oversee all Autonomy sub-team operations throughout the design cycle. They will work closely with the Avionics team to ensure seamless hardware, software integration, and with the Testing team to validate autonomous behaviors through structured simulation and flight testing. The Autonomy Manager will own the full software stack from development through to flight-ready deployment.
The Autonomy Manager can expect to gain skills in the areas of:
- Autonomous Systems Design & Mission Scripting
- Linux operating system
- PX4 Software Configuration
- ROS or MAVLink-based Software Development
- Path Planning & Waypoint Navigation
- Software Testing & Simulation
- Technical Leadership
- Project Management
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: June 27th, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
Interviews will occur online after the deadline. We are happy to provide accommodation 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!