PhD Position - Development of a miniaturized Hall Thruster (Ref. MLPLUS-HT)

Organisation / Company Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Department Aerospace Engineering Research Field Engineering » Aerospace engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Spain Application Deadline 15 Jun 2025 - 23 : 59 (Europe / Madrid) Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information Predoctoral Contract Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Position description and objectives :

MLPLUS-HT : Development of a miniaturized Hall Thruster and experimental validation of its performance.

This position involves the development of a miniaturized low power Hall Thruster and its neutralizer. The second task will be the characterization of its performance and understanding of main physical phenomena, by employing state-of-art plasma diagnostics. The contract will be funded under the regional research project, MLPLUS-CM. Selected candidates will join the Plasma and Space Propulsion Team (EP2, ep2.uc3m.es) at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid under the supervision of professor J. Navarro-Cavallé and with close collaboration with other researchers within the EP2 Team.

Where to apply

E-mail

Requirements

Research Field Engineering » Aerospace engineering Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field Physics » Electromagnetism Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field Mathematics » Applied mathematics Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills / Qualifications

• Young MSc holder (and a total of 300 ECTS completed among BSc + MSc)
• Strong background in the following disciplines : Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Scientific computing, Plasma Physics, Fluid Dynamics, Electromagnetism. Excellent candidates from other disciplines are also invited to apply.
• Previous design / laboratory experience is highly desirable.
• Outstanding academic record; critical & creative thinking.
• Team-working and communications skills; Previous international experience desirable
• Ability to deal independently and proactively with scientific and engineering challenges.
• Good proficiency in English (oral & written).

Languages ENGLISH Level Good Additional Information

What we offer :

• Up to 4-year contract; starting annual gross salary 25 k€ plus productivity bonuses.
• Become part of a young, dynamic, highly qualified, collaborative team.
• Opportunity to travel to international conferences to present research activities.
• Opportunity to carry out a research internship abroad.
• Flexible working environment and schedule.

Selection process

How to apply :

Interested candidates must send their applications to indicating in the email subject the reference “MLPLUS-HT,” and attaching the following documents in pdf format :

• A motivation letter highlighting candidate’s skills, experience and research goals (max. 1 page).
• CV, including relevant education and work experience. Academic grade reports and % position in your class are valuable information for the evaluation.
• The contact information of up to two references (will be contacted during the hiring process)
• Sample of best works of the candidate (e.g. MSc thesis).

Application deadline is June 15, 2025, but the position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found . Contracts will begin in September 2025, though an earlier start date can be arranged.

Applications from women and minorities are particularly encouraged.

Additional comments

This contract is financed with funds from the Community of Madrid through the project “Integración de Consolidación de una Plataforma de MicroSatélite y Tecnologías para Investigación Cientítica Espacial Avanzada” with reference number TEC-2024 / TEC-263, and acronym MLPLUS-CM, within the modality of programmes of R&D activities in Technologies (2024), for the encouragement and promotion of research and technology transfer at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

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