The current need for decarbonization of the aeronautical sector has impelled intense research in combustion and aerodynamics fields to reduce fuel consumption (decrease in greenhouse emissions) and pollutant emissions like soot and NOx, together with desirable complementary objectives related to noise reduction. In line with this, the local air quality in the near airport region is a matter of increasing concern due to its effects on human health and the well-being of the inhabitants of such zones. Consequently, new engine architectures based on the hybridization of the engine through the combination of conventional fuels and an increasing presence of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in conjunction with electrification of the engine are the tendency to achieve the objectives targeted by the policymakers. 

Within this context, the candidate will develop a research activity which will comprise the investigation of the dispersion of pollutants in the regions near the airport during taxi, takeoff and landing stages for different engine architectures through numerical simulations. Another objective of this investigation will be to understand and predict contrails caused by the water vapour condensation contained in the airplane exhaust gases when issued to the atmosphere. Research activities will be carried out in the framework of the EU projects INDIGO and EXCELLERAT 2, in which BSC participates. 

The applicant will join the Propulsion Technologies Group (PTG), a research group from the Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (CASE) Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. As part of the PTG, the applicant will form a multidisciplinary team of researchers with a strong background in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applied to high-fidelity simulations to develop clean propulsion and power generation systems. The PTG is actively involved in several European research-oriented and industrial projects for which results are disseminated in highly-ranked scientific journals and conferences.

The applicant is expected to work on implementing the code to model contrails and will acquire the necessary ability to perform complex simulations in the frame of Computational Fluid Dynamics by applying High-Performance Computing (HPC) techniques.


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Key duties 
- Conducting simulation of pollutant dispersion from aircraft engines.
- Developing reduced-order models for emissions.
- Interact with the different partners of the projects to carry our collaborative research.
- Contribute to scientific publications and reporting to different National and EU projects the researcher will be involved in.

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Requirements

- Education
The candidate should hold a master degree in Mechanical or Aeronautical engineering.

- Essential knowledge and professional experience
o Knowledge of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics are expected.
o General knowledge on computer science and programming languages such as Fortran, Python, C, and C++ will be considered an asset.


- Additional knowledge and professional experience
Fluency in English is essential, Spanish is welcome.

- Competences
o Strong analytical skills.
o Ability to work independently and within a team.
o Good communication and team-work skills to work in a multidisciplinary team.


- Conditions
o The position will be located at BSC within the CASE Department.
o We offer a full-time contract, a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, tickets restaurant, private health insurance, fully support to the relocation procedures.
o Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration.
o Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona.
o Starting date: 01/2/2023


- Applications procedure and process

o All applications must be made through BSC website (applications through e-mail will not be considered):

https://www.bsc.es/es/join-us/job-opportunities/45322caseptr1

o All applications must contain:
   * A full CV in English including contact details
   * A Cover Letter with a statement of interest in English, including two contacts for further references.

- Deadline
The vacancy will remain open until suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.