Research Assistant / Associate in Trickling Filters

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Job description:

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum 

Research Associate: £33,966 to £44,263 per annum

The Role

We are looking for an ethusiastic individual to join our fast-paced interdisciplinary research team based in the School of Engineering. The "BEWISe on trickling filter process emissions" project will involve working with Professors Russell Davenport, Sam Wilson and Tom Curtis together with the BEWISe Wastewater Research Facility team, and a Research Technician. This will be a collaborative project delivered by a consortium, led by Royal HaskoningDHV, along with Newcastle University, Cranfield University, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald, Farmiloe Fisher and Northumbrian Water Ltd. This consortium combines academic excellence with international research and engineering experience in this field to allow the findings to be rapidly disseminated and implemented by the UK water industry to support their Net Zero strategy.

This exciting project will deliver a scientifically robust study, performing experiments at scale to investigate the environmental and process factors affecting nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from trickling filters (TFs) and provide evidence for the monitoring and mitigation of such greenhouse gases. The UK water industry set themselves an ambitious goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in line with their Net Zero 2030 Routemap . There is a specific knowledge gap around the potential N2O emissions from TF's. There are >5,000 WwTW's with TF's in the UK, with these treating around 30% of the total load but yet there is almost no reliable information on a suitable emission factor for N2O emissions or how they may be mitigated. TF's pose a specific challenge due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate in-situ emissions measurements, along with the lack of international research to inform UK approaches.

This full-time position (37 hours per week) is available for a fixed term of 9 months from the start date, with the possibility of extending to 12 months.

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