Research Associate: Dynamic Wing Design Optimisation

SONICOM; Greater London; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Imperial College London invites applications for a Research Assistant/Associate in Aircraft Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation. You will develop computational tools bridging aeroelasticity, structural analysis and manufacturing constraints for early-stage wing design.

The role offers exposure to industry partners such as Airbus, opportunities to travel to conferences, and a chance to advance project management and supervision skills within a world-leading university.

Qualifications

• PhD in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline (or equivalent research or industry experience).
• For Research Assistant: a recognised first-class master's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Experience in computational modelling and design optimisation for aircraft design.
• Experience in scientific computing using Python and JAX.
• Some experience with machine learning and GPUs.
• Interest in working in a larger group and collaborating with industry.

Responsibilities

• Develop computational methods for wing optimisation considering nonlinear dynamic aeroelastic behaviour.
• Use GPU-accelerated computing, programme-level algorithm differentiation, and large-scale parameter space methods.
• Embed results in an optimisation framework including structural sizing and failure analysis of wing components.
• Travel to international conferences and collaborate with industry partners (Airbus).

Skills

Computational modelling

Design optimisation

Scientific computing

Python

JAX

GPU computing

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in Aerospace/Mechanical Eng or related

Master's in Aerospace/Mechanical Eng

Tools

Python

JAX

Job description

Imperial College London invites applications for a Research Assistant/Associate in Aircraft Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation. You will develop computational tools bridging aeroelasticity, structural analysis and manufacturing constraints for early-stage wing design.

The role offers exposure to industry partners such as Airbus, opportunities to travel to conferences, and a chance to advance project management and supervision skills within a world-leading university.