Research Associate South Kensington, England
Job description
Producing sustainable materials from widely available and abundant resources is a prerequisite to securing the supply chain for building sustainable technology and reaching the net zero targets for 2050. One underutilised resource contained in almost all dry land plants is Lignin.
Duties and responsibilities
The Department of Chemical Engineeringis seeking a Research Associate to focus on the design of sustainable carbon fibres from lignin using either electrospinning or solution spinning and their application to the production of composites and electrodes to be used is energy storage and conversion technologies such as Na ion batteries, supercapacitors or electrode supports for the deposition of different active sites used in electrocatalytic applications such as electrolysers and fuel cells. These applications will be pursued collaboratively with other postdocs working within the project.
This is a unique chance to contribute to the decarbonisation of the UK economy across sectors by helping the discovery of low-cost sustainable carbon fibers for different applications.
Essential requirements
We are looking for a motivated research associate with research experience electrospinning, solution spinning, carbon fibre production, carbon materials characterisation, including spectroscopic analysis, microscopy and testing of fibre mechanical properties. The researchers should be able to work in a large and diverse team collaboratively across departments, faculties and universities. This project is funded under a recent EPSRC funded programme grant (EP/W031019/1) to develop the next generation of sustainable materials, in a collaboration between Imperial College London, University of Cambridge and University of Bristol.
The ideal candidate will have deep theoretical knowledge and practical experience in lignin chemistry and in carbon fibers production and characterisation and also preferably electrochemistry including batteries, supercapacitors or electrocatalysis. Good communication skills are required along with the ability to write high quality publications and work collaboratively.
Further information
Further information about the post is available in the job description.
The post is available for up to 24 months from May 2023 and will be based both in White City and South Kensington Campuses.
- Salary on appointment will be limited to £43,093 - £44,876 per annum, depending on experience. Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant (£38,194 to £41,388 per annum).
To apply, please click the Apply now button at the top of the page. Candidates will need to complete an online form.
Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Dr Brandt-Talbot, Agi [email protected] Professor Magda Titirici (m.titirici @imperial.ac.uk)
Should you have any queries about the application process please contact [email protected].
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday, 16th March 2023
For technical issues when applying online, please contact: [email protected]
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