Postdoc Flight Control for Hybrid UAV's

Develop flight control laws for a hybrid UAV that combines hover, transition and forward flight, and help validate them through simulation and flight testing. At TU Delft, your work contributes directly to innovative drone concepts at the forefront of aerospace research.

Job description

In this project, you will develop flight control laws for a novel hybrid unmanned air vehicle (UAV) concept that combines hover, transition and forward flight. A central part of your work is developing a MATLAB/Simulink model that supports control law design, simulation testing and evaluation across the different flight phases of the vehicle.

Working closely with the project team, you will validate the developed control laws through scaled flight testing. Prototypes will be built to validate both the UAV design and the flight control laws, creating a direct connection between simulation and experimental work. You will contribute to implementing the control laws on an autopilot and use flight-test data to analyse system performance and further assess the effectiveness of the developed control strategies.

Your work will focus on simulation development in MATLAB/Simulink, flight control law design, and flight testing and data analysis. This combination makes the role strongly research-oriented while maintaining a clear link to practical hardware validation.

You will join the MAVLab within the Control & Simulation section of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft. MAVLab is a dynamic group of enthusiastic researchers with expertise in control, MAV design and autonomous flight. The lab has a long tradition of developing innovative MAV concepts, including DelFly, Delftacopter and Nederdrone, and is internationally recognised for its leadership in autonomous drone racing.

Job requirements

• You hold a PhD in (Aerospace) Control Systems or a related field.
• You have expertise in control systems and flight dynamics.
• You have experience with drones or other hardware systems.
• You have experience with MATLAB/Simulink; experience with C/C++ is a plus.
• You work independently and solve problems proactively.
• You have a strong research-oriented attitude and communicate well in a team.
• You have an excellent command of English.

Even if your experience does not match every requirement, we encourage you to apply if you are excited about contributing to innovative drone research.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 2 years Temporary
• A job of 34-40 hours per week.
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Additional information

If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Dennis Schaart via D.R.Schaart@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 31 May 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Dr. ir. Ewoud Smeur.