Research Assistant or Associate in Operational Contrail Modelling

Job number

ENG03729

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering

Departments

Department of Aeronautics

Salary or Salary range

£43,863- £57,472 per annum

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Fixed term

Posting End Date

4 Dec 2025

About the role

Condensation trails ("contrails") forming in aircraft exhaust are thought to be responsible for around half of aviation's climate impacts, but efforts to eliminate them are hampered by uncertainty and model inaccuracy. This role is dedicated to solving this problem, building an embedded plume-in-grid contrail model for use in an operational weather model - supporting technological solutions to one of the biggest challenges in aviation sustainability.

What you would be doing

You will survey the landscape of at-scale contrail modelling, identifying weaknesses and strengths of current techniques. Collaborating with a team of researchers both at Imperial and in a broader industrial coalition, you will develop a plume-scale contrail simulation and embed it in a global-scale model such as the UK Met Office Unified Model. You will work with a colleague who is developing a state-of-the-art contrail observation dataset, thereby supporting development of new techniques for evaluating contrail climate impacts which integrate uncertainty in meteorological forecasting, contrail process modelling, and satellite observations to quantify the skill of impact forecasts.

What we are looking for

• PhD (or equivalent) in either aerospace engineering, software engineering, or atmospheric science*
• Expertise in and passion for computational modelling and software development/engineering
• Expertise in cloud physics or contrails preferred but not required

• Creative problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently

• Research Associate: Hold a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Software Engineering, or physics or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

• Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant.

Research Assistant: A first / masters degree (or equivalent) Aerospace Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Software Engineering, or physics or a closely related discipline.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to advance our understanding of, and ability to mitigate, climate change
• The opportunity to interact with experts from Imperial, the UK, and Europe in both aerospace engineering and atmospheric science
• Access to a state-of-the-art, high performance computing cluster
• You would work as part of a dynamic team working to enable truly sustainable aviation at the Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.

• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial's sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression

• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further information

We are hoping that the successful candidate will start her/his contract immediately, or as soon as possible. The successful candidate will join the Aerospace Environmental Impacts Simulation (AEIS) group and be supervised in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London, but will also interact with colleagues in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Physics.

If you require any further details on the role please contact Dr. Sebastian Eastham [ ].

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at We're here to help.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world's toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you'll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you'll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.

Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.

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