Postdoc MENTOR: Multi-fidelity ENgine inTegration Optimization Generation AiRcraft

Help shape the next generation of aircraft. At TU Delft, you will develop advanced simulation and optimization tools to improve engine-airframe integration, aerodynamic efficiency and noise performance.

The next generation of aircraft calls for innovative propulsion technologies, more efficient airframes and improved noise performance. But how can we accurately predict the complex interactions between engines and airframes? As a postdoctoral researcher at TU Delft, you will develop a multi-fidelity computational framework to optimize aircraft engine integration, aerodynamic performance and aeroacoustics. Your research will contribute to the design and assessment of future aircraft.

You will work on MENTOR (Multi-fidelity Engine Integration Optimization for Next Generation Aircraft), a research project bringing together experts from TU Delft and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR). Your challenge is to develop an integrated toolbox combining high-fidelity simulations, fast aerodynamic prediction methods and aeroacoustic models.

Your research will focus on three interconnected areas:

• High-fidelity aerodynamic optimization:
  Develop a design tool combining adjoint-based optimization with unsteady Reynolds-Average Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations to integrate different propulsion systems with low-drag airframes.
• Fast performance prediction:
  Combine blade element momentum (BEM) theory and vortex lattice methods to efficiently predict propulsive efficiency and engine-airframe drag.
• Aeroacoustic prediction:
  Develop models compatible with NLR tools, using flow distortion theory to predict tonal noise and stochastic optimization approaches for broadband noise components.

MENTOR is part of the Dutch Aviation Systems Analysis Lab (DASAL), a flagship collaboration between TU Delft and NLR, funded through the Dutch National Growth Fund's Luchtvaart in Transitie programme. DASAL develops integrated models and simulations to support innovation in the Dutch aviation sector and inform public policy.

You will join the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft the Department of Flow Physics and Technology. Here, you will work in an interdisciplinary environment alongside PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff. Collaborating closely with NLR experts and researchers across the faculty, you will connect advanced computational methods with real‑world aircraft design challenges and contribute to the development of more efficient and quieter aircraft.

• You hold a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
• You have a strong foundation in aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
• You have experience with numerical simulations and computational methods for aerodynamic analysis.
• You are familiar with CAD modelling software and its application to aerodynamic design.
• You have an interest in multidisciplinary optimization, propulsion integration and the development of computational prediction tools.
• You take initiative, approach complex research challenges analytically and develop practical solutions.
• You communicate effectively in English and enjoy collaborating with researchers from different disciplines and organizations.
• Knowledge of Dutch is an advantage, but not a requirement.

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference. For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day.

Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of…