Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Numerical Simulation of Ice Accretion in Gas Turbines

About the role

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join the Numerical Analysis research group at the Department of Engineering Science (Osney). The post is funded by Rolls-Royce and is fixed term for 6 months with possibility of extension.

Ice accretion is a serious threat to civil aviation but also a challenging phenomenon to model. Recent progress in the field has advanced fundamental physical understanding of the phenomena at play but accurate predictions in realistic geometries remain difficult.

You will be responsible for implementing and validating ice accretion models in a well-established industrial CFD solver. You will be responsible for liaising with our sponsor and for disseminating the results of your work.

About you

You should be in possession or be near to completion of a PhD or equivalent qualification in computational fluid dynamics or applied mathematics.

What we offer

At the university of Oxford your happiness and wellbeing at work is important to us. We have a number of generous benefits including 38 days' annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays and fixed closure days), generous pension schemes and free access to the Oxford colleges. The other benefits include:

• Travel - We have several travel schemes available for staff which promote sustainable modes of transport.
• Family friendly benefits - We aim to be a family-friendly employer and offer a range of flexible working options. We have some of the most generous family leave provision in the Higher Education.  
• Sports – We have several schemes to help you stay fit and healthy, including discounted membership of the university sports centre on the Iffley Road
• Personal and professional development - We actively encourage all staff to participate in planning their personal and professional development and provide a broad range of opportunities to enable them to reach their full potential
• University club - All staff are entitled to free membership of the University Club. It offers social and hospitality facilities, a small gym and exercise classes.
• Staff discounts - University staff can access shopping discounts in several ways; by purchasing a TOTUM card, by showing an employee pass in selected local stores, or online by using any of the listed discount codes
• Childcare services - We offer excellent childcare services including five University nurseries as well as University-supported places at other local private nurseries.

How to apply

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system and should include the covering letter/supporting statement (describing how you meet the criteria), a CV, and names of two academic references.

The position is a full-time fixed term post available for 6 months.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 03 October 2025. 

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof Luca di Mare: luca.dimare@eng.ox.ac.uk

For more information about working at the Department, see

www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/

The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.

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