Current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods are not specifically tailored to space activities, exhibiting significant methodological gaps in modeling the environmental impacts of rocket and satellite launch or re-entry emissions. There is a noticeable absence of time- and location-dependent Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods, and a comprehensive framework for transparent and reproducible LCA studies in the space sector is lacking.
In this role, you will develop an innovative scientific LCA framework aimed at quantifying the environmental impacts and trade-offs associated with rocket launches, artificial re-entries, and the broader space sector. Your primary focus will be on contributing to the development of LCIA methods in close collaboration with aerospace engineers and atmospheric and climate scientists investigating the atmospheric emissions linked to launch and re-entry activities, as well as dynamic/prospective LCA. Additional responsibilities will include uncertainty assessments, robustness evaluations, and system design optimization.
You will be enrolled in the ETHZ (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) doctoral school and will receive your PhD title from ETHZ. This position is part of the Marie Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network (DN) -SLICE- (Space Launch Impact on Climate and Environment). You will have the status of a -SERI-funded MSCA DN Grantee-. As part of the MSCA DN, you will have the opportunity to visit the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium in Davos (PMOD, Davos, Switzerland) and Deimos Engineering and Systems SLU (DES, Puertollano, Spain) for approximately three months each. Collaboration with other SLICE research projects and participation in network training and workshops will be integral to your role.
Candidates must not have resided or conducted their main activities (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the recruitment date, with exceptions made for compulsory national service or asylum-seeking under the Geneva Convention. Additionally, doctoral candidates must not have been awarded a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment to be eligible for enrollment in a PhD program at ETHZ.
At PSI, you will find an interdisciplinary, innovative, and collaborative environment that fosters on-the-job training, personal development opportunities, and robust support for balancing work with family or other commitments through modern employment conditions and onsite infrastructure.
LEA is a leading group in developing open Python packages for LCA, including Brightway and others. You will receive hands-on training on LCA and engage with these LCA tools, alongside atmospheric emission, trajectory, and launcher optimization models from project partners such as LEAT, REAT, and WACCM.
As part of the SLICE consortium, you will connect with an international network of over 30 researchers from diverse disciplines. You will benefit from a structured training program focused on space transportation systems and their atmospheric and environmental impacts. This position is funded for 36 months, with the possibility of extension for an additional 12 months, offering a competitive salary, allowances, and supplementary funding for technical training and conference participation.
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
For more information, you can visit:
For further inquiries, please contact Karin Treyer at karin.treyer@psi.ch.
Paul Scherrer Institute, Human Resources Management, Mariusz Prus, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Location : Villigen PSI
Country : Switzerland