PhD student (d/f/m) in the field of Advanced Navigation Payloads

PhD student (d/f/m) in the field of Advanced Navigation Payloads

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In order to support the technology development and product improvement for future satellite navigation payloads, Airbus Defence and Space is looking for a PhD student in the field of Advanced Navigation Payloads (d/f/m) to support the Navigation Payload Engineering department (TSEDA8).

Job Details

• Location: Taufkirchen
• Start:
• Duration: 3 years

Location

Our site is just a stone's throw away from Munich, the beautiful capital of Bavaria. Sports and outdoor activities are within an hour’s reach, including the Alps and Lake Starnberg.

Benefits

• An exciting topic with the potential that your solutions will become state‑of‑the‑art in next‑generation navigation/telecom satellites.
• Attractive salary and work‑life balance with a 35‑hour week (flexitime).
• International environment with the opportunity to network globally.
• Work with modern/diversified technologies.
• You will have close contact with interfaces and be part of our weekly team meetings.
• Opportunity to participate in the Generation Airbus Community to expand your network.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Airbus Defence and Space is currently designing and manufacturing the second‑generation of Galileo satellites. The digital processed navigation payload with active antenna generates the GNSS signal with low distortions to meet challenging Signal‑In‑Space (SiS) performance requirements.

The PhD thesis aims to support reducing payload Size, Weight and Power (SWaP), simplifying RF performance requirements toward amplifiers and antenna, improving SiS performance and enhancing on‑board autonomous detection of failure and signal impairments.

• Analysis and Improvement of Digital Beamforming
  • Analysis of architectural concepts.
  • Definition for an efficient beamforming processing with low distortions and robustness to RF chain and navigation antenna performance variations.
• Analysis and Improvement of advanced On‑Board autonomous signal distortion equalisation techniques
  • Representative modelling, in particular for non‑linear, frequency dependent channel characteristics of high‑power amplifiers.
  • Analysis of concepts and definition of improved equalisation technique for GNSS signals in digital beam‑formed payload.
  • Improve knowledge of specific performance topics of new G2 signals (e.g. understanding SiS performance for small bandwidth signal).
• Modelling of navigation signal generator, beamforming, equalisation, RF payload and navigation antenna
  • Development of Matlab‑based simulator.
  • Validation on hardware.
• Implementation in Hardware, Software and FPGA and Validation
  • Trade‑offs for space implementation incl. functional architecture with space‑grade FPGAs.
  • Implementation in COTS hardware, FPGA and software.
  • Validation with on‑ground demonstrator.

Desired Skills and Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Communication and Signal Processing, Mathematics, Physics or an equivalent field of study.
• Fluent in English; German fluency would be a plus.
• First practical experience in satellite communication or satellite navigation is desirable.
• Deep knowledge of digital signal processing and RF channel modelling.
• Skill to transform candidate signal‑processing and RF‑chain models efficiently into clean Matlab scripts for sensitivity analysis.
• Preferably good knowledge of GNSS signals.
• Preferably hands‑on FPGA programming, ideally VHDL know‑how.

Please upload the following documents: cover letter, CV, relevant transcripts, enrolment certificate.

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Equal Opportunities

Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. Airbus never asks for any monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process.