Senior Researcher – CFD – Aerospace Propulsion

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) a publicly funded research institute based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It is home to a diverse community of leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and researchers from across the globe, transforming problems and roadblocks into pioneering research and technology prototypes that help move society ahead.

• Be responsible for overseeing CFD-driven research activities related to aerospace propulsion systems, including air-breathing engines, rocket engines, and associated internal/external aero-thermal flow phenomena.
• Use lower-fidelity tools as well as advanced CFD software to model and simulate complex reactive and non-reactive thermo-fluid dynamics phenomena applied to propulsion systems.
• Apply CFD methods to propulsion-relevant flow problems such as compressible internal flows, nozzles, intakes, combustors, injectors, turbo machinery-related flows, thermal management, conjugate heat transfer, reacting flows, and multiphase flows, depending on project needs.
• Define and review CFD modelling strategies, including geometry preparation, mesh strategy, boundary-condition definition, turbulence modelling, combustion modelling, multiphase modelling, heat‑transfer modelling, convergence assessment, verification, validation, and uncertainty awareness.
• Perform and supervise low-to-high‑fidelity simulations, analyse results, and provide technically sound conclusions to support propulsion‑system design, performance assessment, troubleshooting, and optimisation.
• Act as a technical reference for CFD modelling choices, solver setup, mesh‑quality assessment, numerical robustness, post‑processing methodology, and interpretation of simulation results.
• Contribute to the development, validation, and improvement of numerical tools, simulation workflows, automation scripts, and data‑processing methods for propulsion‑system performance prediction and aero‑thermal assessment.
• Analyse and interpret generated data, developing effective visualisation methods and technical reports suitable for both specialist and non‑specialist stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other team members to support the definition of validation activities, compare experimental data with CFD predictions, identify discrepancies, and improve modelling accuracy and reliability.
• Work closely with interdisciplinary teams, including design, performance, structures, materials, controls, manufacturing, and test teams, to advance the understanding and development of aerospace propulsion systems.
• Ensure that simulation activities are properly documented, traceable, reproducible, and aligned with internal quality standards, project objectives, and good engineering practice.
• Provide technical guidance, review, and mentoring to junior researchers and associate researchers, supporting their development in CFD methods, propulsion applications, engineering judgement, and technical reporting.
• Contribute to research planning, technical roadmaps, proposal preparation, project reviews, and technical decision‑making related to CFD and aerospace propulsion applications.
• Disseminate research outputs through high‑quality technical reports, journal publications, conference papers, presentations, invention disclosures, and patents, where applicable.
• Maintain awareness of state‑of‑the‑art CFD methods, propulsion‑system simulation practices, numerical modelling approaches, and relevant aerospace technologies.

• PhD with 5+ years of relevant experience, or MSc with 7+ years of relevant experience, in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, with a strong focus on CFD applied to aerospace propulsion systems.
• Proven track record of conducting advanced academic or industrial research in CFD, demonstrated through technical project contributions, publications, technical reports, patents, or equivalent applied research outputs.
• Strong expertise in CFD methods, numerical modelling, and simulation best practices, including mesh generation, solver setup, convergence assessment, post‑processing, verification, validation, and critical interpretation of…