"Research Assistant"

Organisation: Cranfield University

Faculty or Department: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Based at: Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire

Hours of work: 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.

Contract type: Fixed term contract

Fixed Term Period: For 12 months

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £29,363 to £34,332 per annum

Apply by: 08/03/2026

Role Description

We welcome applications from passionate, skilled and committed candidates to join our Advanced Lightweight Structures Group to contribute to the EU-funded CRYOSTAR project.

About the Role

The Research Assistant will support the EU-funded CRYOSTAR project. This prestigious Horizon Europe initiative aims to define a certification roadmap and develop validated crashworthiness methodologies for fuselage-integrated liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks in next-generation aircraft.

About You

You will be educated to Master’s level in a relevant subject and have experience of management of research, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. With excellent communication skills, you will have expertise in finite element analysis (FEA), impact analysis, or structural mechanics. Knowledge of crashworthiness or hydrogen/cryogenic systems would be an advantage.

It is anticipated that the successful candidate will be able to commence by the end of July 2026.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Professor Martin Skote, Airbus Professor of Landing Systems Engineering, on (T): or (E): m.skote@cranfield.ac.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on E: peoplerecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 5235.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 8 March 2026

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the stated closing date should we receive sufficient numbers of applications. Therefore, we would encourage you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.