PhD position (M/F) in systems engineering (processes and MBSE) - Space applications

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 30 000 - 50 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Le laboratoire LAAS-CNRS, en collaboration avec le CNES, propose un poste de chercheur de premier stade dans le domaine de l'ingénierie système pour les PME du secteur NewSpace. L'objectif est de créer un cadre d'ingénierie système simplifié et efficace, favorisant le succès des projets de nanosatellites par une méthodologie adaptée et des outils de modélisation.

Responsabilités

• Définir des processus, méthodes et outils d'ingénierie système adaptés aux PME.
• Développer une méthodologie MBSE personnalisée pour les projets de nanosatellites.

Description du poste

Organisation/Company: CNRS

Department: Laboratoire d'analyse et d'architecture des systèmes

Research Field: Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics

Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country: France

Application Deadline: 17 Jun 2025 - 23:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 35

Offer Starting Date: 1 Oct 2025

Funding: Not funded by an EU programme

Research Infrastructure Staff Position: No

Offer Description

The LAAS-CNRS Lab, in collaboration with CNES, is offering a research opportunity focused on defining systems engineering processes, methods, and tools for NewSpace SMEs.

Systems engineering aims to design and manage complex systems by considering all their dimensions. To implement systems engineering effectively in a company, it must be tailored to specific standards, processes, methods, and tools, translating generic requirements into concrete, applicable recommendations based on project and business context.

The space sector's recent NewSpace revolution, characterized by CubeSat projects and increased private sector participation, has highlighted the need for a specialized engineering framework adapted to small companies. Current gaps hinder small companies from effectively managing nanosatellite development, impacting project success rates.

Previous work has demonstrated the benefits of adapting engineering processes to small companies and the NewSpace context, proposing an organized set of adapted processes. We aim to further develop this by providing tailored processes, methodologies, and supporting tools to build a comprehensive systems engineering framework for SMEs.

With digital transformation and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) principles, we seek to support efficient, safe, and manufacturable system development through an executable MBSE approach based on modeling and simulation. The challenge is to create a lightweight, efficient MBSE methodology that reuses existing elements, interfaces seamlessly with internal processes, and employs accessible tools.

The goal of this thesis is to develop a systems engineering framework suited for a small company in the NewSpace field, based on relevant standards and tailored processes. It will include a guiding MBSE methodology and tooling for model construction at various stages, serving as a reference for organizing and controlling system engineering activities throughout the nanosatellite lifecycle. The framework should be simple, clear, and easily usable by project teams.