Research Fellow in Upcycling Construction and Demolition Waste Minerals

FTE: 1 FTE (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term (32 Months)

Salary: UH7 £37,999 pa to £45,163 pa on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 35 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield 

Main duties and responsibilities

The School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science wishes to recruit a postdoctoral research fellow to participate in the Horizon Europe-funded CIRCULess project (https://circuless-project.eu/), to investigate pathways for large scale upcycling of construction and demolition mineral wastes (CDMW). This is a unique opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment at the interface of materials’ science, engineering, design and standardisation. The post is available for 32 months in the first instance. 

The successful candidate will support the development of experimental protocols for characterisation and post-processing of CDMW as well as their use in binder systems. The post will involve extensive deployment of characterisation equipment (e.g., TEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, XRF etc.) for which previous experience will be beneficial.       

The Research Fellow in Upcycling Construction and Demolition Waste Minerals will contribute to the management of the research activities of the project and is expected to disseminate the outcomes of the work in high calibre journal publications, conferences and other appropriate media. It is also expected that the successful candidate will create opportunities to maximise research activities and capturing relevant evidence to support impact. The successful candidate will engage and effectively collaborate with colleagues at UH, CIRCULess partner organisations and any other external partners and stakeholders. 

Skills and experience required

The successful candidate will have a strong background in cement and concrete research. The post requires experience in cement chemistry and evolution of hydration processes in cementitious and/or non-cementitious binders. In addition, experience with microstructural characterization techniques, setting up relevant experimental protocols/processes and assessment of bulk properties of cementitious and/or non-cementitious systems is essential.

You will possess excellent relevant IT Skills and the ability to plan and manage your own activities effectively. The successful candidate will be expected to meet tight deadlines and manage project demands effectively. Very good interpersonal and presentation skills with attention to detail and ability to communicate effectively in both spoken and written English are essential.

Qualifications required

Educated with an undergraduate honours degree in a relevant discipline is required as well as a PhD (or equivalent qualification), or close to completion of PhD (no more than 3 months prior to viva) in civil engineering, materials science, chemistry or a closely allied, to the post, discipline.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

This post cannot be visa sponsored unless the applicant has a PhD / Doctorate.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Dr Antonios Kanellopoulos (a.kanellopoulos@herts.ac.uk) – Head of Civil Engineering & Built Environment – Director of the Centre for Engineering Research

Closing Date: 05 November 2024

Interview Date: TBC

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