Combustion Design Engineer II

About the role

The Combustion Design Engineer II will join POWERTECH’s advanced propulsion R&D team to develop next‑generation combustion technologies. This position focuses on low‑TRL research (up to TRL 6) aimed at improving efficiency, emissions, and operability of gas‑turbine and jet‑engine combustors.

Key responsibilities

• Support concept evaluation and early‑stage R&D for microwave‑assisted, plasma‑assisted, hybrid and advanced ignition combustion systems.
• Design and refine gas‑turbine and novel jet‑engine combustors, including additive‑manufacturing‑enabled concepts.
• Research hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels and other high‑energy‑density fuels, assessing combustion characteristics and integration potential.
• Develop and test advanced ignition systems to broaden operating range and improve stability.
• Participate in combustion test campaigns using diagnostics such as chemiluminescence, laser‑induced fluorescence, particle‑image velocimetry, pressure and emissions measurements, and high‑speed imaging.
• Analyse experimental and simulation data to drive design improvements and technology maturation.
• Prepare technical reports, design documentation, presentations and inputs for publications or IP filings.
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams and international R&D partners.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Combustion Science or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 5–8 years of experience in combustion design, gas‑turbine combustors, propulsion systems or related R&D.
• Strong understanding of fuel‑air mixing, flame stability, ignition, emissions, pressure loss and overall combustor performance.
• Experience with combustion testing, experimental diagnostics, data acquisition, CFD or combustion modelling.

Required skills

• Microwave‑assisted combustion
• Plasma‑assisted combustion
• Hybrid combustion systems
• Additive manufacturing for combustor components
• Hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel combustion
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Combustion modelling and simulation tools
• Chemiluminescence diagnostics
• Laser‑induced fluorescence
• Particle‑image velocimetry (PIV)
• High‑speed imaging and emissions measurement