CDL and You – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Working at CDL

Staff work at the CDL lab in Charlottesville, VACDL employs professionals with a wide variety of skillsets to design, develop, and build cutting-edge science and technology solutions for radio astronomy, defense, and commercial applications. We are always looking for electrical engineers, electronics engineers, mechanical engineers, RF engineers and technicians, machinists, electromagnetics researchers, and more.

Join NRAO and help CDL build next-generation technologies and solutions for radio astronomy, commercial, and defense applications.

Our Labs and Facilities

The Central Development Laboratory is located in the NRAO Technology Center (NTC) building near Charlottesville, VA. With 38,000 square feet of lab and office space, NTC has a full range of tools to design, build, and test systems such as low-noise cryogenic receivers. The NTC also has a chemistry lab to produce components with complex internal structures using electroforming techniques. Combined with CDL’s world-class expertise this allows NRAO to develop the next generation of radio technology.

Co-op Program

The CDL Co-op Program provides opportunities for undergraduate students in engineering or applied physics to enrich their classroom learning experience. Students in this program will work under the supervision of a CDL staff advisor in one or more areas of: instrument design, development, fabrication and testing or digital instrumentation.

“My co-op at CDL was an important, engaging, and enriching experience that helped me learn many new things while also enhancing skills I already had.”

Mathias Mereles

Sofia D’Alessandro and Lacee Savage participated in NRAO’s “Women in Engineering Program”, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Employment Opportunities

CDL employs professionals with a wide variety of skillsets to design, develop, and build cutting-edge science and technology solutions for radio astronomy, defense, and commercial applications. We are always looking for electrical engineers, electronics engineers, mechanical engineers, RF engineers and technicians, machinists, electromagnetics researchers and more.

Join NRAO and help CDL build next-generation technologies and solutions for radio astronomy, commercial, and defense applications.

View our current open positions here.

In the News

First Recipient of Women in Engineering Fellowship Joins Staff of Central Development Laboratory

January 30, 2024 | Announcement

Following a generous grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Central Development Laboratory (CDL) at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has selected their first recipient of the postdoctoral Women in Engineering fellowship, Priyanka Mondal. The Women in Engineering program increases opportunities for women to enter the field of radio astronomy through engineering pathways.

NRAO’s Central Development Laboratory to Launch New Women in Engineering Program With Support from the Heising-Simons Foundation

August 29, 2022 | Announcement

Following a generous grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Central Development Laboratory (CDL) at NSF’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) will soon launch an ambitious Women in Engineering program that will increase opportunities for women to enter the field of radio astronomy through engineering pathways. The program will include a postdoctoral fellowship and a co-op program for undergraduate and graduate students.

ngVLA Engineering Paper Selected for Prestigious IEEE Award

July 14, 2022 | Announcement

A team of engineers testing the design efficiency of reflectors for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s upcoming next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Harold A. Wheeler Applications Prize Paper Award.

See All

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.