The future of aerospace lies in ever more autonomous systems, for manned aircraft and definitely for drones. At the section Control and Simulation section (department Control and Operations, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, TU Delft) we investigate radically novel automatic control systems in aerospace in terms of safety, adaptability, and autonomy. Examples include swarms of tiny drones that have to explore unknown environments and novel adaptive control algorithms that allow (damaged) aircraft to stay in their flight envelope.

We seek candidates who can contribute to making the next steps in autonomy for aerospace applications, with a research interest and track record in topics such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and control. Topics of particular interest are autonomous robots in general, swarm robotics, deep learning, mission planning, and autonomous decision making processes. We are also open to candidates with a strong interest and background in other application areas and learning methods. The candidate will have access to several world-class facilities, including a flight arena called the "CyberZoo", to test autonomous flying vehicles.

You will be expected to: (i) develop courses and conduct teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, (ii) perform top-quality research in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and control, (iii) establish and execute an externally-funded research programme, (iv) interact and collaborate in an international context  with other researchers and specialists in academia and / or industry, and (v) be an inspiring member of our staff and have excellent communication skills.

 A Tenure Track, a process leading up to a permanent appointment with the prospect of becoming an Associate or full Professor, offers young, talented academics a clear and attractive career path. During the Tenure Track, you will have the opportunity to develop into an internationally acknowledged and recognised academic. We offer a structured career and personal development programme designed to offer individual academics as much support as possible. For more information about the Tenure Track and the personal development programme, please visit www.tudelft.nl/tenuretrack.     

We expect the candidate to meet or exceed the following qualifications:

- a PhD degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, control systems theory, or a related discipline and several years of post-doctoral experience

- an excellent track record in international scientific research, as evidenced by publications in academic journals

- experience in the acquisition of external funding and an entrepreneurial mindset towards academia and industry

- the ability to coach and supervise MSc and PhD students

- the ability to work with others in a team

- proven ability to provide inspiring teaching in English

It is desired for the candidate to have experience in (embedded) programming and software development. Hands-on experience with robotic systems is also appreciated

Fixed-term contract: 6 years.

Conditions of employment

A tenure-track position is offered for six years. Based on performance indicators agreed upon at the start of the appointment, a decision will be made by the fifth year whether to offer you a permanent faculty position.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount for health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. An International Children’s Centre offers childcare and an international primary school. Dual Career Services offers support to accompanying partners. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft sets specific standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. The TU Delft offers training to improve English competency.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. If you have less than five years of experience and do not yet have your teaching certificate, we allow you up to three years to obtain this.      

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

The faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is one of the world's largest faculties devoted entirely to aerospace engineering. In the Netherlands it is the only research and education institute directly related to the aerospace engineering sector. It covers the whole spectrum of aerospace engineering subjects. In aeronautics, the faculty covers subjects ranging from aerodynamics and flight propulsion to structures and materials and from control and simulation to air transport and operations. In astronautics, topics include astrodynamics, space missions and space systems engineering. The faculty has around 2,500 BSc and MSc students, 225 PhD candidates and 27 professors supported by scientific staff.

The faculty's mission is to be the best Aerospace Engineering faculty in the world, inspiring and educating students through modern education techniques and enabling staff to perform ambitious research of the highest quality for the future of aerospace. The working atmosphere at the faculty is friendly, open-minded and dedicated.

The Department of Control and Operations (CO) combines a range of fundamental and applied research programmes, with the overall objective of improving the safety and efficiency of aerospace operations and reducing their environmental impact. It consists of three research groups: (1) Control and Simulation (CS), which focuses on the development of advanced, automatic control systems (including the role of the human operator); (2) Air Transport and Operations (ATO), whose goal is to improve operational performance by optimising capacity, costs and safety, and (3) Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects (ANCE) which focuses on reducing environmental impact. All sections synergistically contribute to the department's mission to improve the safety and efficiency of operations in aerospace.

CS works on the integration, development and testing of new theories on control, autonomous systems and cognitive systems (with and without human elements), while addressing industrial and societal needs. In our vision, the ever-increasing levels of safety, efficiency and capacity of aerospace will require developing more capable automatic control systems in terms of adaptability and autonomy, and more advanced human-machine systems to interact with them. To advance the development of such systems, we build on a solid theoretical basis and physical insights while exploiting theoretical progress in adjacent fields, and validate these systems experimentally in world-class facilities, closing the loop between theory and practice.    

https://www.tudelft.nl/en/ae/