Research Assistant (m/f/d)

Supplier: Chair and Institute of Jet Drives and Turbomachines As the largest German university institute for turbomachines and aircraft engines, the Institute for Jet Drives and Turbomachines at RWTH Aachen offers the ideal conditions for your career start in the field of sustainable aviation. Embedded in the highly active research landscape around Aachen, we develop both classic turbomachines and solutions for electrified energy wall systems of tomorrow with the latest experimental and numerical methods. To this end, the institute has several large test stands, wind channels and its own high-performance computing cluster. Another focus of the IST is the development, construction and testing of ultra-empty propulsors for electric drives. For climate-neutral aviation, green hydrogen is the preferred energy carrier. Only in this way can a reduction in the climate effect be achieved by almost 100%. A particularly promising drive technology is the hydrogen-operated fuel cell. While conventional flight drives, however, discharge the waste heat almost completely via the exhaust gas stream, fuel cells require an additional heat exchanger. This causes a considerable resistance in flight and an increased drive mass due to the large required area. The optimal design of the entire cooling system in conjunction with the remaining fuel cell system is thus one of the central research questions in the field of sustainable air drives with fuel cells. The RWTH is certified as a family-friendly university. RWTH offers a variety of health, counselling and prevention services (e.g. university sports) as part of a university health management. There is a wide range of training and the possibility of obtaining a job ticket for employees and civil servants.

In the project “Design and Demonstration of Fuel Cell Coolers for Regional Flight Applications” you will develop and test new fuel cell coolers as well as suitable manufacturing and integration concepts for use in regional aircraft. These are developed for the first time specifically for aviation without resorting to automotive components. The special focus of your work is on mass and resistance optimization. Another core aspect of your activity is the design of the gondola and the cooling air blower, which must carry the required mass flow through the heat exchanger in all phases of the flight emission and must be designed both with regard to low parasitic losses and to a low mass. The final performance of the developed coolers will be carried out primarily in a laboratory environment at the Institute for Jet Drives and Turbomachines. In addition, in cooperation with industrial partners from the aviation industry, you will develop concepts for the use of fuel cell drives in larger aircraft classes. The integration of your research into a doctorate is expressly provided and is actively supported by us

Your profile Are you excited about innovative technologies and want to contribute to sustainable aviation in the future? Then you are right with us! A prerequisite for the recruitment is a completed university degree (master or comparable) in the field of mechanical engineering, aerospace technology or a comparable engineering discipline. Required qualifications are: Good to very good studies knowledge of the aerodynamics of turbomachines Knowledge of fuel cell or heat transfer Knowledge of flow simulation (e.g. Ansys Fluent) Good or very good knowledge of German and English in word and writing

The employment is in the employment relationship. The place shall be occupied at the next possible time and shall be limited to 4 years. The temporary employment is carried out within the framework of the time-limits of the science-time contract law. It is a full-time job. There is a doctoral opportunity. The grouping depends on the TV-L. The place is rated with EG 13 TV-L. The job description is aimed at all sexes. We want to promote the careers of women at RWTH Aachen University and are therefore looking forward to applicants. Women are preferably taken into account in the case of equal suitability, competence and professional performance, provided You are underrepresented in the organisational unit and, if not in the person of a competitor, outweigh the reasons. Applications for suitable people with difficulty are expressly desired. For the purposes of equal treatment, we ask you to waive an application photo. Information on the collection of personal data pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be found at https://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbe