Researcher European Defence Fund - E-CUAS project,

Royal Military Academy, Belgium; Brussel Hoofdstad; On-site; EUR 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bilingual allowance (Dutch/French)

End-year bonus

DKV hospitalization insurance

Bike allowance / Free public transport

On-campus restaurant and cafeteria

Job summary

The Royal Military Academy, in collaboration with FN Herstal, invites applications for a full-time researcher in the Ballistics department. You will conduct university-level research on the EUROPEAN COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS (E-CUAS) project, focusing on ballistic trajectory modeling and its integration into a fire control system for a vehicle-mounted turret.

The ideal candidate has a master's degree in Engineering, strong Python skills, experience in numerical simulations, and proven

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering (Applied Sciences, Engineering Sciences).
• Strong Python programming skills.
• Excellent written communication and technical documentation abilities.
• Experience in ballistics (external/terminal) is an added value.
• Experience in C-UAS or drones is a plus.
• Experience with other programming languages is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and simulate ballistic trajectories of various effectors for turret integration.
• Analyze and simulate the terminal effects of chosen effectors.
• Perform sensitivity studies to maximize neutralization probability of hostile drones.
• Capture and analyze data to inform the choice of algorithms for target position estimation.
• Support practical organization of C-UAS ballistic tests.
• Contribute to data analysis, technical reports, and peer‑reviewed publications.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams.

Skills

Python

Numerical simulations

Technical writing

Ballistics knowledge

Drones / C-UAS

Other programming languages

Education

Master's degree in Engineering

Job description

The Royal Military Academy is fully recognized as a university, fulfilling the same criteria as civilian universities. The RMA is also conducting scientific research at university level for projects funded by the Belgian Defense department or external sources.

In the framework of European Defence Fund - E-CUAS project, we are looking for a full-time researcher with a master's degree in Engineering (Applied Sciences, Engineering Sciences).

We value diversity and equal opportunities. Whether you are a man, a woman or X, or come from any background, we firmly believe that diversity enriches our community, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply.

PROJECT:

You work within the department of Ballistics of the Royal Military Academy, and in close collaboration with the company FN Herstal. You conduct scientific research at university level on a project entitled 'EUROPEAN COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS' ('E-CUAS').

E-CUAS objectives are to design, prototype, test and qualify a C-UAS system for countering class I UAS (typically <150kg) by integrating multiple technologies for the effective protection of critical assets in fixed, mobile and deployed scenarios. The researcher will particularly focus on developing and integrating ballistic trajectory modeling and correction in a Fire Control system to improve the precision and accuracy of projectiles shot from a vehicle-mounted turret, while minimizing potential collateral damage.

MAIN TASKS:

• Analyze and simulate the ballistic trajectories of various effectors to be integrated on a turret
• Analyze and simulate the terminal effects of chosen effectors
• Perform sensitivity studies to maximize the probability of neutralizing hostile drones
• Capture and analyze data to contribute/advice on the choice of algorithms for target position estimation
• Support the practical organization of C-UAS ballistic tests
• Contribute to data analysis, technical reports, and peer-reviewed publications
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

This position is open to junior profiles (ideally 0-3 years of experience).

"MUST HAVE" skills

• The applicant shall have academic experience (projects or master's thesis), or professional experience, in numerical simulations of mechanical engineering (aeronautics, applied motion or similar) problems
• The applicant shall have Python programming skills
• The applicant shall have proficiency in technical documents productions. Excellent written communication skills, both for scientific communications and for general public communications is therefore a must.
• Experience in ballistics (external, terminal) is an added value
• Experience in C-UAS or drones is a plus
• Experience with other programming languages is a 'plus'.

Personal skills

• You conduct scientific research in an independent and upright way within a multidisciplinary environment
• You think in an innovative and creative way
• You solve problems autonomously and find alternatives or solutions.
• You communicate your results in a clear, concise and precise manner
• You will be working very closely together with the industrial partner on a European Project and will get insight in their proprietary intellectual property. Confidentiality is therefore an absolute must.

Other skills:

• The applicant shall have good knowledge of English (oral / written).
• Minimum knowledge of French is an added value for collaboration with peers and FN Herstal
• Experience in scientific literature review and scientific writing is an added value.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• The researcher may be exposed to classified information and will therefore have to obtain the required security clearance. The candidate must consent with the background check required to obtain this clearance, which will be executed by Belgian Defense.
• Only applicants with a nationality of a country that is both part of NATO and the EU will be eligible.
• Working for the Patrimony requires living in Belgium for the duration of the study.

CONTRACT

• Probable date of recruitment: From 01 February 27, in consultation with the applicant.
• Status: full-time employment (38 hours / week) based on an open-ended contract with the Patrimony of the Royal Military Academy (you will not be a civil servant).
• Please note that your contract will be open-ended, but the financing of the contract will be tied to the funding project, which is guaranteed for 1.5 years (until 30/05/2028).
• Wage scale: class NA21 (holder of an Ir degree or equivalent Master's in Engineering Sciences, doctor's degree in the same area of expertise). A salary simulation can be done here: Simulateur de salaire. RMA applies a merit-based research career track, allowing researchers to advance in wage scale based upon annual evaluations
• Holiday pay.

EXTRA LEGAL BENEFITS

• Possibility to benefit from a bilingualism allowance (Dutch/French) following a SELOR test;
• End-year bonus;
• Free DKV hospitalization insurance. Possibility of additional affiliation for one or more persons living under the same roof: spouse, child(ren) (50% of the price per additional member);
• Bike allowance / Free public transport (home-work commute);
• Free access to campus sports facilities outside working hours;
• On-campus restaurant and cafeteria with democratic prices (discount on the daily menu);
• Flexible working hours within the 38-hour week;
• Teleworking possible with allowance (2 days / week max);
• Holidays:
• 29 days holiday / year from the 1st year of contract (then from 45 years: +1 day holiday every 5 years)
• 1 week OFF every year between Christmas and New years Eve (independent of the annual balance of holidays).
• Advantages and interesting offers thanks to the Benefits@work card (discounts, vouchers...);
• Entitlement to services offered by the 'Office Central d'Action Sociale et Culturelle de la Défense' (OCASC): among others holiday centres, discount on travel organised by the tour operator...;
• Possibility to benefit from the nursery funded by Belgian Defence (subject to availability).