Technical University of Munich
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PhD Position in Electric Space Propulsion and Water-Based Electric Thrusters Technical University of Munich in Germany
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Mechanical Engineering
Funding
Full-time position (100% / 40h) paid at E13 TV-L. The post is a salaried research position; no stipend amount is stated. Benefits include flexible home office options and 30 days of paid holidays.
Country
Germany
University
Technical University of Munich

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About this position
PhD position in Electric Space Propulsion at the Technical University of Munich (TUM)
This PhD opening focuses on electric space propulsion and the development of water-based electric propulsion technologies for future spacecraft. The project will investigate how water can be stored, transported, and controlled within compact electric thrusters, contributing to an integrated Water Electrolysis Propulsion system at the Chair of Space Mobility and Propulsion at TUM.
The research combines aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, plasma generation, propellant management, vacuum experimentation, modelling, and performance analysis. The successful candidate will design and manufacture propulsion prototypes, run experimental tests and diagnostics, develop propellant-control concepts, and work with other projects in the chair to contribute the electric propulsion branch of a complete water-based propulsion system.
Eligibility highlights: applicants should hold a master’s degree with excellent results in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a comparable field. The post also asks for strong problem-solving ability, teamwork and independent working skills, mechanical design experience, analysis of structural and fluid dynamic engineering problems, fluent English, and willingness to attend international conferences and publish internationally. Helpful extras include prior knowledge of space propulsion, especially electric propulsion, CAD skills such as SolidWorks, Matlab and/or Python, strong motivation for research, interest in economically sustainable space mobility, and German at B1 level or higher.
Funding and conditions: this is a full-time salaried research position (100% / 40h) paid at E13 TV-L. The post includes flexible home office options and 30 days of paid holidays. No stipend amount is given.
How to apply: send your application by email to [email protected], preferably as a single PDF. Include a CV, a motivation letter (max. 1 page), current and past transcripts of records, and any supporting documents.
Institution: Technical University of Munich, Germany.
Start date: October 2026.
Funding details
Full-time position (100% / 40h) paid at E13 TV-L. The post is a salaried research position; no stipend amount is stated. Benefits include flexible home office options and 30 days of paid holidays.
What's required
At appointment, the candidate must hold a master’s degree with excellent results in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a comparable field. Required are strong problem-solving skills, ability to work both in a team and independently, experience with mechanical design and analysis of structural and fluid dynamic engineering problems, fluent written and spoken English, and willingness to attend international conferences and publish internationally. Preferred are knowledge of space propulsion, especially electric propulsion, strong motivation for research and sustainable space mobility, CAD skills such as SolidWorks, programming in Matlab and/or Python, and German language level B1 or higher.
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