Catalyst Development Engineer (Industrial PhD)

Pangea Propulsion; Barcelona; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Pangea Propulsion in Barcelona, in collaboration with PoliMi, seeks a Catalyst Development Engineer – Industrial PhD to advance 3D-printed ceramic catalyst technology for hydrogen peroxide propulsion. You will work across materials, manufacturing and test teams to translate lab results into reliable production hardware.

The role is an industrial PhD with an initial six-month period at PoliMi in Milan, then execution mainly at Pangea in Barcelona, with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent qualification eligible for PhD admission, completed before doctoral enrolment.
• Hands-on experience building, manufacturing or testing hardware.
• Technical grounding in materials/chemistry or thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics.
• Ability to process and visualise experimental data using Python, MATLAB or an equivalent tool.
• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Willingness to work mainly on site in Barcelona, including an initial period in Milan.

Responsibilities

• Turn propulsion-system needs into measurable catalyst requirements and a practical development and validation plan.
• Develop ceramic supports made by DLP additive manufacturing for production-readiness.
• Select active-phase and support formulations using test data and cost considerations.
• Plan and support laboratory and propulsion-hardware test campaigns with safety procedures.
• Analyse test data to identify failure/degradation mechanisms and propose changes.
• Develop a scale-up approach to ~200 N-class applications with durability tests.
• Help establish catalyst manufacturing and transfer know-how into documented instructions.
• Deliver traceable test results and progress updates against milestones.

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Python

MATLAB

CFD

CAD

Job description

About Pangea Propulsion

We are a company dedicated to developing advanced propulsion systems for the space industry based on three key principles: high efficiency, sustainability, and reusability. We are revolutionizing the space industry with ground-breaking innovations that allow us to offer

the best performance to cost propulsion systems. Our goal is to be the propulsion provider for the next generation of spacecraft, which is essential to meet demands and compete in the booming space market of the next decade.

About Pangea Propulsion

We are a company dedicated to developing advanced propulsion systems for the space industry based on three key principles: high efficiency, sustainability, and reusability. We are revolutionizing the space industry with ground-breaking innovations that allow us to offer the best performance to cost propulsion systems. Our goal is to be the propulsion provider for the next generation of spacecraft, which is essential to meet demands and compete in the booming space market of the next decade.

We are a passionate, multicultural, and multidisciplinary team pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space propulsion technology.

We have already made history by successfully testing the world's first 3D-printed Methalox Aerospike engine, marking a significant milestone for the space industry.

We are looking for talented professionals to join our international teams in Barcelona and Toulouse. We want to be a key player in improving diversity in the Aerospace sector as, in Pangea, we believe that diversity (gender, age, race, sexual orientation, beliefs, disability, culture, etc.) is a key to success. Within Pangea, everyone can grow with the same opportunities.

We are looking for a Catalyst Development Engineer – Industrial PhD based in Barcelona, in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi).

About the role

Join our Fluidics department to develop catalysts that meet the performance, lifetime, manufacturing and cost needs of our hydrogen peroxide-based propulsion systems. You will take 3D-printed ceramic catalyst technology from laboratory samples towards reliable hardware, working hands‑on with materials, manufacturing processes and test data. Your work will help Pangea build its own catalyst production capability and make informed design decisions for its propulsion products.

The role is structured as an industrial PhD within the planned Executive PhD framework at PoliMi. Pangea will define the industrial priorities, with academic supervision and specialist support from PoliMi. The development plan will focus on usable engineering results: validated catalyst designs, repeatable manufacturing processes, demonstrated durability and know-how transferred into Pangea. Doctoral requirements will be integrated into this work, with confidentiality and intellectual property managed under the agreed framework.

You will be part of the Combustion Devices team, working closely with Systems, Mechanical, Manufacturing and Test colleagues and the PoliMi research group. We welcome recent graduates who enjoy building, testing and improving hardware and want to see their work used in real propulsion systems. Previous professional experience in propulsion is not required.

Location and programme

The current plan includes an initial period of approximately six months at PoliMi in Milan to develop manufacturing know-how, followed by execution mainly at Pangea in Barcelona, with further travel as required.

We are looking for someone available to start as soon as possible. Employment may begin ahead of formal PhD enrolment. Admission, enrolment timing and programme duration will be confirmed by Pangea and PoliMi through its approval process.

Key Responsibilities

• Turn propulsion-system needs into measurable catalyst requirements and a practical development and validation plan, prioritised with the engineering team.
• Develop ceramic supports made by digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing, improving manufacturing repeatability, mechanical robustness and suitability for production.
• Select active-phase and support formulations using test evidence and trade‑offs between performance, lifetime, material availability and cost.
• Improve catalyst‑bed layouts and injector–bed interfaces to meet flow distribution, cold‑start and decomposition requirements while controlling pressure losses and residual liquid volume.
• Plan and support laboratory and propulsion‑hardware test campaigns with the responsible test teams, following approved safety procedures. Assess steady and pulsed operation, thermal response, repeatability, degradation and total hydrogen peroxide throughput.
• Analyse test data, identify failure and degradation mechanisms, and recommend design or process changes. Use numerical models where they support engineering decisions.
• Develop a scale‑up approach from laboratory samples to approximately 200 N‑class applications and assess larger systems against manufacturing, performance and durability constraints.
• Help establish catalyst manufacturing and characterisation capabilities at Pangea. Transfer know‑how from PoliMi into documented process instructions, quality checks and design guidelines that colleagues can use.
• Deliver traceable test results, engineering recommendations and process documentation. Communicate progress, risks and next actions against agreed development milestones.

What you need to be successful

• Education: A Master’s degree, or equivalent qualification eligible for PhD admission, in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering or a closely related field. The qualifying degree must be completed before doctoral enrolment.
• Hands‑on experience: Practical experience building, manufacturing or testing samples or hardware through a thesis, project, internship or employment. You should be able to troubleshoot problems, interpret results and turn findings into concrete improvements.
• Technical foundations: A sound grounding in materials and chemistry, or in thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics, with a willingness to build skills across these disciplines.
• Data analysis: Ability to process and visualise experimental data using Python, MATLAB or an equivalent tool, and to assess data quality and uncertainty.
• Communication: Fluent written and spoken English, with the ability to produce clear technical documentation and explain results, trade‑offs and recommended actions to engineering colleagues and university partners.
• Commitment and mobility: Motivation to deliver practical engineering results through an industry‑based PhD and availability to work mainly on site in Barcelona, including the planned initial period in Milan.

Soft Skills

• Practical problem‑solving: use evidence to challenge assumptions, find root causes and choose solutions that balance performance, reliability, cost and development time.
• Hands‑on ownership: organise your work, keep traceable records, raise problems early and deliver usable results against agreed milestones.
• Teamwork and clear communication: work effectively across engineering, manufacturing, test and university teams, with an open approach to feedback and a strong commitment to safety.

Other useful skills

• Experience with heterogeneous catalysis, hydrogen peroxide decomposition or catalyst preparation and characterisation.
• Knowledge of ceramic additive manufacturing, DLP printing, slurry formulation, sintering or porous structures.
• Familiarity with materials characterisation methods such as microscopy, diffraction, porosity measurement or mechanical testing.
• Experience with experimental instrumentation, data acquisition, design of experiments or statistical analysis.
• Exposure to propulsion hardware, reacting‑flow or porous‑media modelling, CFD, CAD, or laboratory process transfer.

Pangea Propulsion is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We consider all applications without discrimination on any legally protected grounds. We welcome applications from persons with disabilities and we can provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace.

Teamwork

We strive to work together as an aligned team towards our common goals.

Respect & tolerance

we value people with integrity that treat other people with respect. We enjoy having diverse views to enrich the debate and take better decisions.

Passion for growth

we are passionate about space and about being pioneers; also, we value personal and organizational growth aiming to a constant improvement.

Sustainability

because a long-term vision and strategy is not possible if sustainability is not in the team’s core values.

Daring

we do things that sometimes seem impossible, but we always go the extra mile to find a path to do them and we are ready to take the necessary risks to achieve our goals.