Aerospace Engineering

The Aerodynamics Group performs fundamental research across the broad spectrum of fluid dynamics in aerospace engineering. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: advanced technologies for flow analysis and prediction through measurement, modelling and simulation; flow stability and laminar-turbulent transition; fluid-structure interaction; gas dynamics; high-performance computing; passive and active flow control techniques; reduced-order modelling including machine learning; thermofluid-dynamics including supercritical and multiphase fluids; turbulence theory and turbulence modelling; uncertainty quantification for experiment and simulation. The group has access to excellent facilities for both experimental and computational research, and fosters synergetic collaborations between its experimental and computational experts.

The development of novel aircraft that have a low energy consumption and low emissions, to prevent unwanted climate effects, is a challenging task for which we seek new top talent.  Moreover, the next generation of commercial aircraft should be safe to operate whilst being attractive from the economic aspects at the same time. Key aspects of our research in the field of aircraft configurations constitute aerodynamics drag reduction, propulsion system analysis, design and integration of in the airframe, low and high-fidelity approaches to aircraft preliminary and conceptual design. This research field incorporates a multitude of disciplines and focal points will be established in close cooperation with the candidate. Especially physics-based modelling and aircraft aerodynamics related flow phenomena will be addressed. This work will be supported by numerical analysis and experimental work in the windtunnel facilities available at the faculty of aerospace engineering. The section Flight Performance and Propulsion has an extensive background on all relevant aspects of aircraft configurations related research.

3. Sustainable Aircraft Propulsion

A major aspect of making aviation sustainable is finding alternative energy sources for aircraft propulsion systems. The goal of carbon neutrality cannot be attained without huge strides in new types of propulsion system and sustainable aviation fuels, including hydrogen. The choice of the energy source/carrier is fundamental as it dictates most of the other parameters concerning aircraft configuration, choice of the propulsion system, etc.  However when choosing future fuels, we need to take into account the total life cycle emissions of these fuels and their climate impact. Thus, we need to model the engine, the aircraft and the emissions arising from these new types of fuels and propulsion system. The main research objective would be to compare in detail the various energy options available in combination with new type of propulsion systems.

The FPT department is looking for top female talent to strengthen our position at the forefront of wind energy technologies that accelerate the transition to clean energy for a carbon-neutral world. To this end, she could leverage a broad range of current activities and interests, including but not limited to advancing fundamentals in wind conditions, aerodynamics and aeroelasticity, leveraging system engineering, machine learning and multidisciplinary optimization for design of future wind turbines and farms, developing new blade technologies or novel turbine architectures, and broadening the application space into floating or airborne systems, wind-based hybrid power plants or green hydrogen production.

Aeroacoustics is a discipline that studies noise generation from turbulent fluid motions or aerodynamic forces from flow interactions with surfaces. The aeroacoustic research in the FPTdepartment bridges the fundamental studies of noise reduction mechanisms, to their application to system component, finally to their deployment at full scale. Work from the group is targeted toward the design and construction of new silent mechanical systems, including aircraft components, propulsive systems, wind-turbines, ventilation systems and drones. The aeroacoustic group has a strong background in experimental, numerical and analytical modelling of the aeroacoustic phenomena. The aim of the group is to expand the department’s leading role in aeroacoustics modelling with a strong focus on, but not limited to, noise prediction and reduction technologies.

Electric propulsion is a rapidly raising technology, with potential for short missions with zero direct emissions. A promising application thereof is electric Vertical Take-off and Landing vehicles (eVTOL). An unprecedented variety of concepts has arisen in only a decade: multi-copter, tilt-rotors, electric ducted jets/fans, and more.
Such novelty makes the aerodynamics, propulsion and acoustic performances challenging to establish for design, optimisation and operation.
A TU Delft multi-disciplinary group with roots at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering pursues research and educational activities in this domain.
Topics of interest include: rotor aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, distributed electric propulsion, flight in urban turbulence, eVTOL critical manoeuvres, perceived noise and visual pollution. Collaborations are active with sections at AE and within TU Delft (Faculty of Electrical Engineering). 

This position aims to enhance the aeronautical knowledge needed to assess and define the future operations that will effectively contribute to the transition to zero-emission operations in the aviation industry. The research and education focus will be mainly on optimising flight operations of future aircraft and on modelling operational concepts that can contribute to this decarbonisation goal.

The aims of the AGNC cluster are to enhance the safety, efficiency and sustainability of flight. Research and education focus on the design of more capable automatic control systems in terms of adaptability and autonomy. A successful candidate is an expert in guidance, navigation and control theory with an extensive international network in academia and industry.

The Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory (MAVLab) of the Delft University of Technology solves fundamental technological challenges of Micro Air Vehicles in order to maximize their utility and safety. For the of bio-inspired drones, you impact the future and can contribute to the existing team.

The Space Department expands its involvement in future planetary and exoplanetary spacebornemissions by means of instrument development, in close connection with vehicle development, in-house lab facilities, spacecraft tracking and planetary sciences. We especially look for innovative developments on the interface between instrument and small-scale (miniprobes, cubesats, pocketsats) vehicle development and their scientific products.

Observing, monitoring, and modelling our Earth is essential for improving our understanding of climate change and Space Weather, and for enhancing Space Situational Awareness (SSA). This is also crucial for a sustainable access to space (e.g. collision avoidance, satellite lifetime estimates) and safety of our space infrastructure which is becoming increasingly important for society. We especially look for affordable small satellite solutions and ground tracking systems.

With more than 30,000 man-made debris objects in space, operational space missions, which are critical infrastructure of modern societies, are getting more and more threatened. Active Space Debris Removal (ASDR) is an approach which aims at developing technologies, such as advanced robotics or Guidance, Navigation and Control, which helps to remove especially dangerous objects from space, thus avoiding cascading debris numbers. We especially look for innovative solutions to provide robust and efficient Active Space Debris Removal capabilities.

Space instrumentation is one of the key parts of any space mission. Payloads are crucial for gathering observational and scientific data. The section is specialized in the development of optical space instrumentation for Earth observation, exoplanetary research, space weather monitoring and gravitational wave instrumentation.