PhD: High-frequency Electrostatic Gating System for a Next-Generation Ion Mass Spectrometer towards the Saturnian System
Location: Space Research Institute (IWF), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
Contract: Fully funded PhD position for three years
Salary: About €39,900 gross per year
Start: Beginning of 2027
Deadline: 31 October 2026 (23:59 CET)
Help build a crucial part of a next-generation ion mass spectrometer for a future ESA mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus, which has a subsurface liquid water ocean and active plumes at its south pole. The design builds on PICAM, the ion mass spectrometer IWF built and operates for BepiColombo. The goal is a gate driver with nanosecond cycling and sub-nanosecond edges, enabling high-resolution analysis of complex molecules in the plume.
You will join Dr. Gabriel Giono's Onboard Computing group, working closely with Dr. Ali Varsani (Solar System Planetary Physics), within the YRP@Graz Young Researcher Programme for interdisciplinary space science.
Your tasks
- Review the PICAM electrostatic gate design and understand its limitations
- Develop an ultra-fast electrostatic gate system: analogue electronics calculations, mechanical design for impedance control, and simulation (e.g. LTSpice)
- Develop the driver electronics (schematics, layout, firmware) with senior engineers
- Prototype and test the design in the laboratory
- Publish in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences
Requirements
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering
- Expertise in analogue and digital electronics
- Programming experience in C, Python or other embedded languages recommended
- Teamwork skills, a self-driven research attitude and scientific curiosity
