PhD student - Doctoral : Studying impacts of rocket upper stage and satelli

Organisation/Company University of Leeds Research Field Engineering » Aerospace engineering Engineering » Mechanical engineering Engineering » Simulation engineering Environmental science » Earth science Environmental science » Global change Geosciences » Other Physics » Applied physics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Final date to receive applications 31 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe - MSCA Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

About SLICE

Space utilisation plays a crucial role in understanding climate change, but due to a drastic increase in launch rates, there is an urgent need to understand and mitigate potential environmental impacts of space activities themselves, particularly of launchers. However, large knowledge gaps persist for their operational phase from lift-off to landing/reentry. Here, the largest Global Warming Potential and Ozone Layer Depletion Potential are expected.

Especially in the higher atmospheric layers, which are only accessed by launchers, potential impacts of emitted pollutants are amplified by very long retention periods and substance accumulation effects. To investigate the Space Launch Impact on Climate and Environment, SLICE will therefore develop a research and training programme that bridges the current divide between space engineering and climate science to close the gaps that exist in the Life‑Cycle Analysis of space launch systems.

Thus, SLICE will contribute to advance the science of climate change by investigating the three most pressing research areas of this field:
Launch Vehicle Emissions, Atmospheric Interaction & Climate Impact and System Analysis & Design. This will generate actionable insights, on which SLICE will develop solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate the delivery of the Green Deal and establish an environmentally sustainable access to space. It is the ambition of SLICE to generate desperately needed novel results, which will enable cutting‑edge innovations.

At the same time, SLICE is committed to training a new generation of highly skilled, resilient, and environmentally aware researchers. They will combine deep scientific knowledge with an ecodesign mindset and the ability to communicate across disciplines and sectors. These doctoral candidates will be uniquely prepared to shape a sustainable future for space transportation in Europe - technically, environmentally, and politically.

SLICE directly supports the European Green Deal, ESA’s Agenda 2025, and will deliver crucial inputs for the EU Space Law and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) regulations at European level, including the development of PEF Category Rules (PEFCR) for space.

About the host organization

The University of Leeds is one of the world’s leading universities in atmospheric science, with about 50 senior academics in the Schools of Chemistry, Earth & Environment, and Physics & Astronomy, covering a very broad range of activities. It also houses the UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science directorate. The School of Chemistry is a leading international centre for chemical kinetics and its applications.

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Task description for your Individual Research Project (IRP)

The potential impacts of aluminum containing particles, produced from ablation/demise during re‑entry, remain speculation until certain critical laboratory measurements are performed and the resulting physico‑chemistry data input into a global chemistry‑climate model.

Research Objectives:

• Measure the processing of HCl on aluminum‑containing particles
• Measure the ability of these particles to freeze H₂SO₄/HNO₃/H₂O droplets and produce polar stratospheric clouds.
• Model the impacts of Al‑containing particles on stratospheric ozone by activating the HCl reservoir and changing the frequency of PSC formation.
• Simulate with a chemistry‑climate model (WACCM) and analyse the global impacts of the rocket/satellite industry on atmospheric composition, dynamics,…