Senior Researcher – CFD – Aerospace Propulsion

The Institute

Duties & Responsibilities

• Be responsible for overseeing CFD-driven research activities related to aerospace propulsion systems, including air-breathing engines, rocket engines, and associated internal/external aero-thermal flow phenomena.
• Use lower-fidelity tools as well as advanced CFD software to model and simulate complex reactive and non-reactive thermo-fluid dynamics phenomena applied to propulsion systems.
• Apply CFD methods to propulsion-relevant flow problems such as compressible internal flows, nozzles, intakes, combustors, injectors, turbomachinery-related flows, thermal management, conjugate heat transfer, reacting flows, and multiphase flows, depending on project needs.
• Define and review CFD modelling strategies, including geometry preparation, mesh strategy, boundary-condition definition, turbulence modelling, combustion modelling, multiphase modelling, heat-transfer modelling, convergence assessment, verification, validation, and uncertainty awareness.
• Perform and supervise low-to-high-fidelity simulations, analyse results, and provide technically sound conclusions to support propulsion-system design, performance assessment, troubleshooting, and optimisation.
• Act as a technical reference for CFD modelling choices, solver setup, mesh-quality assessment, numerical robustness, post-processing methodology, and interpretation of simulation results.
• Contribute to the development, validation, and improvement of numerical tools, simulation workflows, automation scripts, and data-processing methods for propulsion-system performance prediction and aero-thermal assessment.
• Analyse and interpret generated data, developing effective visualisation methods and technical reports suitable for both specialist and non-specialist stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other team members to support the definition of validation activities, compare experimental data with CFD predictions, identify discrepancies, and improve modelling accuracy and reliability.
• Work closely with interdisciplinary teams, including design, performance, structures, materials, controls, manufacturing, and test teams, to advance the understanding and development of aerospace propulsion systems.
• Ensure that simulation activities are properly documented, traceable, reproducible, and aligned with internal quality standards, project objectives, and good engineering practice.
• Provide technical guidance, review, and mentoring to junior researchers and associate researchers, supporting their development in CFD methods, propulsion applications, engineering judgement, and technical reporting.
• Contribute to research planning, technical roadmaps, proposal preparation, project reviews, and technical decision-making related to CFD and aerospace propulsion applications.
• Disseminate research outputs through high-quality technical reports, journal publications, conference papers, presentations, invention disclosures, and patents, where applicable.
• Maintain awareness of state-of-the-art CFD methods, propulsion-system simulation practices, numerical modelling approaches, and relevant aerospace technologies.

Job Specification

• PhD with 5+ years of relevant experience, or MSc with 7+ years of relevant experience, in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, with a strong focus on CFD applied to aerospace propulsion systems.
• Proven track record of conducting advanced academic or industrial research in CFD, demonstrated through technical project contributions, publications, technical reports, patents, or equivalent applied research outputs.
• Strong expertise in CFD methods, numerical modelling, and simulation best practices, including mesh generation, solver setup, convergence assessment, post-processing, verification, validation, and critical interpretation of numerical results.
• Demonstrated CFD experience applied to aerospace propulsion systems, with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
• rocket propulsion systems
• gas turbine or air-breathing propulsion systems
• combustors and injectors
• nozzles and exhaust systems
• intakes and internal aerodynamic flow paths
• turbomachinery-related flows
• compressible and high-speed flows
• reacting flows and combustion modelling
• multiphase flows
• conjugate heat transfer and thermal management
• Solid understanding of the physical modelling assumptions and limitations associated with turbulence models, combustion models, multiphase-flow models, wall modelling, heat-transfer modelling, and compressible-flow simulations.
• Proficiency in using industry-standard CFD software, such as Ansys Fluent, Siemens Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Metacomp CFD++, CONVERGE, or equivalent tools.
• Proficiency with meshing tools and workflows, such as Ansys Fluent Meshing, Ansys ICEM CFD, Cadence Pointwise, or equivalent grid-generation tools.
• Experience with programming and scripting languages such as Python, C++, Linux Bash, MATLAB, Octave, or equivalent tools for automation, post-processing, workflow development, and data analysis.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing environments, parallel CFD execution, job submission workflows, and efficient management of large simulation datasets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose CFD issues, assess modelling credibility, identify root causes, and draw technically defensible conclusions.
• Ability to lead technical work packages, coordinate simulation activities, support project execution, and contribute to technical planning and decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and communicate CFD findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to guide, review, and mentor junior researchers or associate researchers in CFD-related tasks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Fluency in English is required.
• Adaptability to new project directions, changing technical priorities, and emerging research needs in aerospace propulsion and CFD.

Additional Skills

• Experience with open-source CFD software such as OpenFOAM, SU2, or equivalent tools.
• Proven experience with combustion CFD, finite-rate chemistry, flamelet methods, non-premixed combustion, premixed combustion, spray combustion, or hybrid combustion modelling.
• Proven experience with rocket-engine applications, including injectors, combustion chambers, nozzles, cooling channels, plume simulations, or system-level propulsion performance assessment.
• Proven experience with gas-turbine or air-breathing propulsion applications, including intakes, compressors, turbines, combustors, exhaust systems, or integrated engine-airframe effects.
• Proven experience with rotating machinery, turbomachinery CFD, blade-row modelling, mixing planes, sliding meshes, or transient rotor-stator interactions.
• Proven experience with conjugate heat transfer, thermal protection, regenerative cooling, material thermal response, or coupled thermal-fluid simulations.
• Proven experience with reduced-order modelling, surrogate modelling, uncertainty quantification, design of experiments, optimisation, or hybrid physics/data-driven modelling.
• Proven experience applying AI/ML methods to CFD workflows, data analysis, model acceleration, or aerospace/propulsion-system simulations.
• Proven experience developing automated CFD workflows, reproducible simulation pipelines, or digital-thread/digital-twin capabilities for aerospace systems.
• Familiarity with experimental diagnostics, test data reduction, validation planning, or comparison of CFD predictions against propulsion test data.
• Active membership in professional engineering associations or an established international network of contacts in academia, industry, or research organisations