The eco impact of aviation is not just defined by the sector’s emissions, but also by the formation of warming contrails. And as the sector keeps growing, securing long-distance mobility, it is crucial to significantly reduce contrail formation by optimising flight routes. Depending on your seniority, you will conduct research into minimising warming-contrail formation as a PhD or Postdoc candidate at TU Delft. Your work will be part of the EU-funded BeCoM (Better Contrails Mitigation) project, which aims to improve the prediction of persistent contrails.

You will further develop the current climate model by including different platforms and integrating a weather model. In addition, you will expand the scope from cruise condition to the entire flight profile. Using your improved model, you will devise air traffic optimisation strategies, which you will implement in the air traffic simulator. Then you will run simulations and analyse the atmospheric response. To gain insights and align your research with other studies, you’ll work closely with the BeCoM project partners, including leading weather forecasters, research institutes, an air traffic management company and research simulation specialists.

In addition, you will coach bachelor and master students and supervise their projects. As a PhD candidate, you will also receive all the training you need to evolve. And if you’re a Postdoc candidate, you will prepare for an academic career, taking on a more leading role in education, project coordination and formulating project proposals. Your homebase will be the

Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects group, where you’ll be joining our friendly, highly motivated and supportive team of 3 full Professors, 3 assistant Professors, two Postdocs and more than twenty PhD students. We share a mission to reduce the environmental impact of aerospace operations, while improving safety and efficiency. Ours is an open-minded, inspiring and friendly atmosphere, in which you’ll exchange knowledge and ideas. 

You thrive on conducting research into aircraft routing and developing complex, interdisciplinary mathematical models. Working with your colleagues and our partners, you leverage your communication skills to drive progress. And while growing your own skills and knowledge, you are committed to coaching and interacting with students

You also have:

• An MSc (for the PhD position) or a PhD (for the Postdoc position) in a relevant subject, such as atmospheric sciences, (applied) physics, (applied) chemistry, aerospace engineering, or mathematics.
• Excellent mathematical and analytical skills.
• Advanced programming skills.
• A keen interest in interdisciplinary research.
• An excellent command of English, as you’ll be working in an internationally diverse community and with international partners.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

For the PhD: 

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2,541 per month in the first year to € 3,247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

For the Postdoc: 

TU Delft offers Postdoc-candidates a 2-year contract, with a possibility for extension. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, salary range from € 2,960 - €4,670.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is one of the world’s most highly ranked (and most comprehensive) research, education and innovation communities devoted entirely to aerospace engineering. More than 200 science staff, around 250 PhD candidates and over 2,700 BSc and MSc students apply aerospace engineering disciplines to address the global societal challenges that threaten us today, climate change without doubt being the most important. Our focal subjects: sustainable aerospace, big data and artificial intelligence, bio-inspired engineering and smart instruments and systems. Working at the faculty means working together. With partners in other faculties, knowledge institutes, governments and industry, both aerospace and non-aerospace. Working in field labs and innovation hubs on our university campus and beyond.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.