PhD Position: Minimal Climate Impact Hydrogen Aircraft Design

About the role

Four-year fully funded PhD at Chalmers’ Division of Fluid Dynamics, Department of Mechanical Engineering. The project develops multidisciplinary optimisation methods that combine aircraft performance, aerodynamics, structural analysis, and atmospheric modelling to design hydrogen-powered aircraft with the lowest possible climate footprint - targeting both CO2 reductions and non-CO2 effects such as contrail formation. Supervised by Tomas Gronstedt (tomas.gronstedt@chalmers.se). Starting salary is SEK 35,725 per month. Deadline: 25 June 2026.

Responsibilities

• Develop or extend multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) frameworks for hydrogen aircraft concepts.
• Couple aerodynamic, structural, propulsion, and atmospheric models.
• Quantify climate impacts beyond CO2, including water vapour and contrail effects.
• Publish at AIAA and similar aerospace venues.
• Contribute up to 20% undergraduate teaching.

Requirements

• Master’s degree (120 ECTS) in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience in at least one of: aircraft design, aerodynamics, propulsion, computational fluid dynamics, MDO, or numerical modelling.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.
• Physical presence in Gothenburg required; valid residence permit by start date.

Nice to have

• Experience with OpenVSP, SUAVE, or open-source MDO toolchains.
• Background in aerodynamic shape optimisation or surrogate modelling.
• Prior industry or research placement in aerospace or energy systems.

How to apply

Apply through the Chalmers recruitment portal using the link above. Upload CV, cover letter, transcripts, and two referee contacts. Deadline is 25 June 2026.