Academic Staff to support the " Autonomous Satellite Operations Design" research group, starting as soon as possible

PhD Student (m/f/d) „Autonomous Satellite Operations Design“

17.04.2024, Wissenschaftliches Personal

We are building a research group to lead research projects in space systems engineering and autonomous satellite technology, along with related downstream applications. The Technical University of Munich’s Chair of Spacecraft System (SPS) invites applications for a Ph.D. position in Autonomous Satellite Operations Engineering. This position is focused on advancing the state-of-the-art of auton-omous satellite operations. As a Ph.D. candidate, you will contribute to the development of prototypes for autono-mous control and onboard satellite systems, utilizing cutting-edge AI technologies. Your activities will include participation in other research activities of the Chair and in the supervision of teaching.

Description:

We are building a research group to lead research projects in space systems engineering and autonomous satellite technology, along with related downstream applications.

The Technical University of Munich’s Chair of Spacecraft System (SPS) invites applications for a Ph.D. position in Autonomous Satellite Operations Engineering.

This position is focused on advancing the state-of-the-art of auton-omous satellite operations. As a Ph.D. candidate, you will contribute to the development of prototypes for autono-mous control and onboard satellite systems, utilizing cutting-edge AI technologies.

Your activities will include participation in other research activities of the Chair and in the supervision of teaching.

Your qualifications:

• Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong interest and commitment to pursuing a Ph.D. in the field of autonomous satellite operations, encom-passing both ground-based and onboard systems.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C++, or Java.
• Experience with systems engineering and simulation tools is advantageous.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to effectively present research findings.
• Demonstrated commitment to transparent and reproducible research practices.

Your responsibilities

Task for the position will include:

• Conduct a comprehensive study of the state-of-the-art AI agents and underlying foundation models for the development of autonomous operation systems for spacecrafts.
• Develop and set up production environments to facilitate fine-tuning, testing, and validation of AI agents.
• Design, verify, and validate AI agents covering various disciplines to ensure a diverse range of capabilities.
• Design simulators for autonomous spacecraft operation to enable application to different mission classes and phases, facilitating comprehensive testing and evaluation.
• Assess the performance, capabilities, and trustworthiness of developed systems, ensuring readiness for real space missions.
• Analyze and publish research results in Q1 international journals and conferences to contribute to both the re-search community and industry.

Our offer:

We offer a full-time position as academic staff with the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. The position will be limited to three years. Payment will be based on the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service of the Länder (TVL E13).

TUM strives to raise the proportion of women in its workforce and explicitly encourages applications from qualified women. Applications from disabled persons with essentially the same qualifications will be given prefer-ence.

„TUM is striving to increase the proportion of women, and therefore expressly welcomes applications from women.“

Kontakt: Chair Spacecraft Systems, E-mail address: office.sps@ed.tum.de