Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in MBSE & MDO of Cryogenic Liquid Propulsion Systems

Our team and mission

This research fellowship will be undertaken in the ESA Directorate of Space Transportation (D/STS) within the STS ESRIN Integrated Project Team. In this way, as a Research Fellow, you will benefit from the technological development streams devoted to consolidating knowledge of cryogenic LOx-methane propulsion systems through demonstration flight tests and preparing the key building blocks to be used in the new generation of green launch vehicles aimed at reducing recurring costs while extending operational capabilities.

The STS ESRIN Integrated Project Team (IPT), focusing on Vega, Space Rider and the preparation of the future of the Vega launcher, is an integrated team of young, enthusiastic and highly motivated engineers with solid academic backgrounds and industrial experience in a broad variety of disciplines such as propulsion, avionics systems, system engineering and integration, mechanical systems, assembly, integration and test, product assurance and safety, and security. The STS ESRIN IPT interacts closely with academia and the aerospace industry, operating in a truly multidisciplinary fashion and fostering research on innovative systems, design concepts, lean development approaches, for example Agile, and working methods.

Through its daily work, the Team acts as a pathfinder for the low-cost, green launch systems of the future.

The Directorate of Space Transportation is a programme directorate within the ESA matrix structure, whose activities are performed in cooperation with the other ESA directorates and the Director General’s Services, as appropriate. It operates as part of the ESA Enabling and Support area along with the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (D/TEC) and the Directorate of Operations (D/OPS).

In this respect, D/STS is, in particular, responsible for proposing and implementing a strategy for the European space transportation sector. Such a strategy includes a long-term vision of the sector and depends on the service demand of institutional and commercial users, among other things, while promoting private initiatives, identifying potential transformation opportunities, and proposing action to tackle upcoming challenges. D/STS is in charge of preparing the future of the sector by building up relevant proposals for all new programmes and activities in space transportation, taking into consideration the industrial policy of the Agency.

You are strongly encouraged to familiarise yourself with the technological activities performed by STS PNRR, in particular in the field of Model-based Digital Twin applied to cryogenic liquid propulsion systems to support the system architecture definition of a launch vehicle within the Model-based System Engineering (MBSE) collaborative environment.

You are encouraged to visit the ESA website: https://www.esa.int/

Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship

You will carry out research in the field of digital system engineering, with particular emphasis on the development of a model-based digital twin to be applied to cryogenic liquid propulsion systems and their main components using innovative techniques such as chemical reactor networks or surrogate models for machine learning, allowing rapid but rigorous system architecture definition of a launch vehicle within the MBSE collaborative environment. You will also carry out research in the field of Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) for machine learning and its validation.

Your areas of research will be chosen based on both your own expert judgement and insight into trends and developments and on team requirements to ensure alignment with the strategic directions of the STS PNRR programme.

Scientifically, you will in particular:

• propose and conduct rigorous research in the field of model-based digital system engineering and digital twin development. This research will be performed, where appropriate, in collaboration with universities;
• analyse vehicle architectures and configurations based on LOx-Methane cryogenic liquid propulsion, engine clustering, low structural ratio and low-cost system-integrated avionics;
• develop mathematical models relating to the cryogenic liquid engines and their components to be applied to the vehicle digital system design and injected in the vehicle digital twin with the aim of optimising the design of liquid propulsion systems;
• develop and validate UQ methods for machine learning to be used in the launch vehicle design disciplines.

As a research fellow, you will:

• publish results in peer-reviewed publications and use modern communication tools to communicate with the broader audience within and external to ESA;
• lead and assist in interdisciplinary projects with other researchers;
• participate, together with the Team, in the assessment of novel space system concepts and propose new concepts and assessment studies;
• perform and participate in assessments on topics of strategic interest to ESA, providing in-house expertise towards strategy development;
• benefit, in your research, from the technology and engineering expertise available at ESA.

Technical competencies

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking 

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You should have recently completed, or be close to completion of a PhD in a related technical or scientific discipline. Preference  will  be  given  to applications submitted by candidates within  five  years of receiving their PhD. In particular for this position, the following is required:

PhD in engineering or physics, preferably with a focus on the development of thermal fluid-structure interaction mathematical models.

A thesis topic relevant to the aforementioned fields of activities would be considered an advantage.

Additional requirements

In addition to your CV and your motivation letter, please prepare a research proposal of no more than 5 pages. This proposal should be uploaded to the "additional documents" field of the "application information" section.

You should have:

• Experience in scientific physical-mathematical modelling;
• Proficiency in a programming language;
• The desire to develop a career in academia or research;
• Aptitude for and interest in prospective interdisciplinary research;
• Ability to contextualise specialised areas of research and quickly assess their potential with respect to other domains and applications
• Academic networking skills to create functioning links with universities and research institutes;
• Ability to work in a team as well as independently in accordance with your own research plans and directions;
• Natural curiosity and a passion for new subjects and research areas.

Experience in space vehicle mission design or system engineering is considered a strong asset.

Your role will be similar to a regular academic postdoctoral placement, but with a number of notable differences:

• As there are no professor or similar roles within the teams, you should be more academically independent than most postdoctoral researchers. This implies greater freedom, but also greater responsibility for research directions and approaches.
• You will join a diverse, evolving, and interdisciplinary research team embedded in a large space agency, in contrast to a more specialised, focused research group with similar competences.
• You are required to actively reach out to other disciplines to bring their competences to bear in interdisciplinary research projects and to encourage other researchers to join them in their core, cross-disciplinary research projects.
• You will need to communicate their expertise and research results, including their potential implications and importance for ESA’s long-term strategy, both internally and externally.

You should also have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team. Your motivation, overall professional perspective and career goals will also be explored during the later stages of the selection process.