Internal Research Fellow (PostDoc) in MBSE & MDO of Cryogenic Liquid Propulsion Systems
Job Requisition ID: 19577
Date Posted: 26 May 2025
Closing Date: 23 June 2025 23:59 CET/CEST
Publication: External Only
Type of Contract: Internal Research Fellow
Directorate: Space Transportation
Workplace:Frascati, IT
Grade Band: F2 - F2

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.

• 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