Doctoral Studentship: Space Engineering at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job: 

• The CSIR has a vacancy for a Doctoral Studentship: Space Engineering in the Optronic Sensor System (OSS), within the Defence and Security Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible for undertaking original research and development in Space Engineering with the Optronics Sensor System. This position is based in Pretoria.

Research areas: 

• Space Mission Analysis and Design (SMAD)
• Satellite Bus Design and Development
• Space Satellite System Engineering Process
• Satellite Orbital Mechanics Design
• Space Modelling and Simulation
• Space Ground Station Technologies
• Emerging Artificial Intelligence technologies for Space Applications
• Thermal management of satellite buses and payloads 
• Radiation shielding of satellite bus materials

Key responsibilities:

• Prepare a research proposal to be approved by both the CSIR OSS and the university;
• Prepare a written literature overview of the current state-of-the-art relevant to the research topic;
• Perform original research to solve the open research problem(s) that the student identified in his/her proposal;
• Produce sufficient quantity and quality of peer-reviewed publications based on the Doctoral research topic;
• Compile the Doctoral thesis and defending the work successfully; and
• Contribute to extra project activities that may be outside the scope of the doctoral research as per the needs of the research group. 
• The amount of such work shall be limited to 20% of the total time.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Master's degree in electronic/mechanical/mechatronics engineering or related fields;
• Register for a Doctoral qualification within the South African university (to be agreed upon with the CSIR co-supervisor);
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report/certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA);
• The following knowledge, and experience will be advantageous:
• Strong background in Electronics and Mechanical Systems, System Engineering, Cybersecurity in Space Domain, Data Communication systems;
• Machine learning and/or artificial intelligence application in space technologies;
• Working knowledge of related programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, (and others applicable);
• Knowledge modelling and simulation software such as STK, ANSYS, NX Siemens (and others applicable);
• Experience in software development for experimentation and computer simulation with a hands-on approach;
• Good understanding of the scientific method: design of experiments, running experiments, critical analysis of results, and dissemination of knowledge;
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to interact efficiently with diverse teams of people; and
• A good peer-reviewed publication record will be advantageous.