With more than 16,000 students and 3,800 employees, the Technische Universität Braunschweig is one of Germany´s leading institutes of technology. It stands for strategic and performance-oriented thinking and acting, relevant research, committed teaching, and the successful transfer of knowledge and technologies to the economy and society. We consistently advocate for family friendliness and equal opportunities.
Our research focuses are mobility, engineering for health, metrology, and city of the future. Strong engineering and natural sciences are our core disciplines. These are closely interconnected with economics, social and educational sciences and humanities.
Our campus is located in the midst of one of the most research-intensive regions in Europe. We work successfully together with over 20 research institutions in our neighborhood as we do with our international partner universities.
Starting from the earliest possible date, the Institute of Flight Guidance is looking for a
Doctoral candidate (m/f/d) in the field of modelling aviation’s impact on the atmosphere
The global aviation sector contributes roughly 3.5% to the total anthropogenic effective radiative forcing (Lee et al., 2021) and, thus, has a warming climate impact caused by both CO2 and non-CO2 effects. In order to contribute to the ultimate goal of climate-friendly air traffic, the newly established research group on „Analyzing and Modelling the Atmospheric Impact of Novel Propulsion Technologies“ focusses in particular on the short-lived but strongly warming condensation trails (“contrails”) and their potential avoidance by technological advancements and operational mitigation measures. To this end, the research group combines modelling tools (pycontrails/CoCiP) and satellite observations and closely collaborates with the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics.
The successful applicant will focus on modelling the impact on contrails by novel propulsion technologies, aircraft designs, and sustainable aviation fuels.
Your tasks
- You will identify novel technologies with mitigation potential with respect to contrail formation.
- You will adapt the model pycontrails/CoCiP to a selected technology.
- You will model the atmospheric impact of contrails and the mitigation potential of the selected technology in present and future aviation scenarios.
- You will publish research findings and participate in national and international conferences.
- You will be involved in teaching at the University (preparation and implementation of courses as well as supervision of students’ work).
Your Qualifications
- You have a degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Physics, Engineering, or Meteorology.
- You have good knowledge of the English language; German is a plus.
- You have good programming skills (e.g., Python) in a Linux environment.
- You have first experience in atmospheric and cloud physics, aircraft propulsion systems, modelling or statistical data analysis.
- You are flexible, can perform under pressure and work well in a team.
- You are aiming for a doctorate.
We offer
- Work on exciting future-oriented research topics in an inspiring work environment as part of the university community
- A vibrant campus life in an international atmosphere with lots of intercultural offers and international cooperations
- Pay in accordance with the collective agreement TV-L (a special payment at the end of the year as well as a supplementary benefit in the form of a company pension, comparable to a company pension in the private sector) including 30 days' vacation per year
- Flexible working and part-time options and a family-friendly university culture, awarded the "Family-friendly university" audit since 2007
- Special continuing education programs for young scientists, a postdoc program, as well as other offerings from the Central Personnel Development Department and sports activities.
Further notes
We welcome applicants of all nationalities. At the same time, we encourage people with severe disabilities to apply. Applications from severely disabled persons will be given preference if they are equally qualified. Please attach a proof of disability to your application. We are also working on the fulfilment of the Central Equality Plan based on the Lower Saxony Equal Rights Act (Niedersächsisches Gleichberechtigungsgesetz—NGG) and strive to reduce under-representation in all areas and positions as defined by the NGG. Therefore, applications from women are particularly welcome in this case.
The personal data will be stored for the purpose of processing the application. By submitting your application, you agree that your data may be stored and processed electronically for application purposes in compliance with the provisions of data protection law. Further information on data protection can be found in our data protection regulations at https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/datenschutzerklaerung-bewerbungen . Application costs cannot be reimbursed.
Questions and Answers
For more information, please contact Prof. Peter Hecker via email: p.hecker@tu-braunschweig.de
Deadline for applications is 31-Mar-2025
Are you interested? Please send your application preferably via email to p.hecker@tu-braunschweig.de
or via mail to
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Institut für Flugführung
Hermann-Blenk-Str. 27
38108 Braunschweig