Research Engineer for FlyHigh Project (ANR-DFG)

Founded 70 years ago, ENAC, École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, is Europe's largest aeronautical Grandes Écoles or university. It provides initial and advanced training for managers and key players in the civil aviation industry: engineering, air navigation, piloting, airport management, research, expertise and international development.

ENAC is a public scientific, cultural and professional establishment, under the supervision of the DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile ), the French civil aviation authority.

ENAC Dynamic Systems Research Axis, specialized in fixed-wing and rotary-wing outdoor flights since 2005 with its open-sourced autopilot system Paparazzi (https://wiki.paparazziuav.org/). Having worked on aerodynamics, control, guidance, decision making, the group has a significant experience in multi-disciplinary optimization of flying vehicles for any given mission. These have been put into real life test in several occasions such as national and international projects namely VOLTIGE, SKYSCANNER, BACCHUS, MISTRALE, NEPHELAE, PANACHE and now being further improved during FIREFLIES.

FlyHigh Project: The project is financed by ANR-DFG 2024 Call and aims to develop, deploy and share a low-cost, modular and open-source hybrid UAV (the OpenGeoDrone) for high-resolution glacier monitoring and atmospheric sounding in alpine terrain.

 The reseacher/engineer is going to work on the detailed final design of the OpenGeoDrone including the integration of the selected payload to the fuselage, resizing the wing and propulsion system accordingly, and drawing the necessary parts in CAD for printing and manufacturing. Integrating all of the components for the vehicles, working on the flight tests and making design iterations will be on his/her duty as well.

 In order to facilitate parallel measurements and the efficient mapping of larger glacier areas, the project will also work on formation flight control of these vehicles, both from the flight plan prepapration and real-time flight point of view. Therefore as a second main task, the researcher/engineer will need to work on the guidance methodologies of these particular vehicles, while thinking about the safety and robustness.  

As a summary :

Responsibilities:

• Work on detailed CAD drawings of the proposed OpenGeoDrone

• Integrate the selected payload to the system

• Resize the vehicle design (wing surface, propulsion system…) after initial flights

• Prepare the necessary configuration files for Paparazzi Autopilot System to be user friendly for interested researchers

• Work on existing, and new formation flight algorithms applicable for these hybrid vehicles and integrate them to Paparazzi, for real flight tests and missions.

• Collaborate closely with other researchers and engineers to integrate the developed algorithms into existing platform.

• Publish research findings in high-impact journals and present at relevant conferences and workshops.

Requirements:

• Engineering degree.

• Hands on experience with rapid prototyping, CAD, 3D printing, manufacturing…

• Familiarity with any autopilot system will be a great advantage.

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and C, C++ for algorithm development and implementation.

• Willing to do flight tests in high mountain terrain, including ligth climbing…

• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.

• Strong problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and mathematical aptitude.

Application Process:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications via our university's online recruitment portal. The application should include a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications (if there are any…), and the name and contact information of at least one reference. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further interview and discussion.