Hydrogen and electric aircraft could transform aviation's climate and air quality footprint, but their environmental impacts remain poorly quantified.
A position exists, for a Research Assistant/Associate in the Department of Engineering, to work on the Environmental Impacts of Next-Generation Aircraft, developing aircraft emissions and air quality models as part of the EU-funded SESAR project ZENITIA.
The post holder will join Dr Irene Dedoussi's group at the Whittle Laboratory and work with project partners including UC3M, Imperial, TU Delft and Boeing. The research will inform airport and air traffic management and European aviation policy.
The key responsibilities and duties are:
- developing global emissions inventories for current and next-generation aircraft under scenarios to 2050, including landing and take-off modelling;
- developing, evaluating and applying near-airport air quality modelling capabilities;
- collaborating with consortium partners and contributing to project deliverables;
- publishing and presenting research results.
The skills, qualifications and experience required to perform the role are:
- has obtained or is close to obtaining a PhD in aerospace, mechanical or chemical engineering, atmospheric or environmental science, physics, applied mathematics or a related field;
- experience in modelling physical systems (e.g. atmospheric modelling, aircraft performance, propulsion, combustion or fluid dynamics);
- strong scientific programming skills;
- a publication record appropriate to career stage and excellent communication skills.
Experience in aviation emissions, chemistry transport, dispersion or air quality modelling is desirable.
Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be amended to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.
Salary Ranges:
Research Assistant: £33,002 - £35,608
Research Associate: £37,694 - £46,049
Fixed-term: The funding is for 24 months or until 28 February 2029, whichever of these comes soonest.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), including a list of publications, a covering letter, and your most representative research publication in the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application. Please submit your application by midnight on the closing date, although early applications are strongly encouraged.
If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Dr Irene Dedoussi at icd23@cam.ac.uk for queries of a technical nature related to the role, and Juliet Teather at jet63@eng.cam.ac.uk for queries related to the application process.
Please quote reference NM51382 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
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Key information
Department/location: Department of Engineering
Salary: £34,610 - £35,608; £37,694 - £46,049
Reference: NM51382
Category: Research
Date published: 13 October 2026
Closing date: 3 November 2026