Research Associate in Organic Chemistry

Job reference: SAE-025979
Salary: £36,024 to £39,347 per annum according to experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering
Location: Oxford Road
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Department of Chemistry
Hours Per Week: 1 FTE
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 02/07/2024
Contract Duration: Fixed term from as soon as possible until 28 February 2026
School/Directorate: School of Natural Sciences

A postdoctoral research associate position funded by the Leverhulme Trust with Prof. Jordi Burés is available for 20 months. The selected PDRA will join a team of three PDRAs to develop an NMR device for in situ monitoring of heterogeneous reactions.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the premier technique for chemical reaction monitoring as it provides both kinetic and structural information for all reaction components simultaneously. Regrettably, due to design limitations of NMR instruments, spectral information for heterogeneous reactions remains inaccessible. Heterogeneous reactions, such as those in immiscible liquid-liquid systems or mixtures involving solid particles in liquids, are pivotal in numerous industrial chemical processes ranging from polymer synthesis to drug creation and catalysis. Bringing NMR spectroscopy to the analysis of heterogeneous reactions would profoundly enhance our grasp of the complex mechanisms and kinetics inherent in these systems. The extensive insights offered by NMR spectra hold the promise of revolutionizing various industrial processes, leading to wide-reaching socio-economic benefits, as seen in the health sector through the development of novel drugs and in manufacturing with the design of innovative plastics and refinement of existing materials.

The project will be executed in tight collaboration with the research teams of Dr Ralph Adams (NMR) and Dr Julien Landel (fluid mechanics and engineering). The PDRA with a chemistry focus will assess the kinetics of chemical reactions involving diverse heterogeneous mixtures conducted in standard reaction vessels and stirrers. This will be compared to results from the mechanically stirred NMR devices constructed by the other PDRAs. Furthermore, this novel method will be employed to delve into the mechanisms of several industrially pertinent transformations.

Applicants should possess, or be in the process of obtaining, a PhD or equivalent in organic chemistry.

For more details about the group, visit the webpage: https://jordibures.wixsite.com/buresgroup

• Burés, J.*; Larrosa, I.* Nature 2023, 613, 689–695 
  “Organic reaction mechanism classification using machine learning”
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05639-4
  • Alamillo-Ferrer, Hutchinson, G.; Burés, J.* Nature Reviews Chemistry 2023, 7, 26–34 
  “Mechanistic interpretation of orders in catalyst greater than one”
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-022-00447-w
  • Hutchinson, G.; Alamillo-Ferrer, C.; Burés, J.* Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143, 6805–6809
  “Mechanistically Guided Design of an Efficient and Enantioselective Aminocatalytic α‑Chlorination of Aldehydes”
  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c02997
  • Nielsen, D.-T. C.; Burés, J.* Chemical Science 2019, 10, 348-353
  “Visual kinetic analysis”
  https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/sc/c8sc04698k

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

Our University is positive about flexible working – you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Ralph Adams

Email: ralph.adams@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: People.recruitment@manchester.ac.uk

Technical support:

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.

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