Postdoctoral Research Associate

About us

Chemistry has been taught at King's from the founding of the University in 1829 making us one of the oldest Chemistry departments in the UK. 

Today, we provide a vibrant environment to study and research chemistry in the heart of London.

About the role

The research group of Dr Micaela Matta is seeking to appoint a highly motivated and experienced postdoctoral research associate in computational materials chemistry.

The position is funded by the EPSRC project “Data-driven design of organic mixed conductors”.

Mixed ionic/electronic conducting materials are being developed for applications in bioelectronics, biosensing, energy storage and neuromorphic computing.  However, the lack of general structure-property relationships is a bottleneck for systematic material development. 

In this project, the candidate will conduct a high throughput computational screening of novel organic mixed ionic/electronic conductors leveraging cheminformatics, quantum chemistry, and molecular dynamics simulations. The candidate will work in close collaboration with experimental groups providing validation/testing of novel mixed conducting materials.

The project has a strong emphasis on software development; the candidate will develop and maintain workflows and datasets related to the project according to FAIR principles, supported by Dr Matta and KCL’s E-Research Team.

This is a full-time post and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30/09/2027 in the first instance.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Please note that all applications must be accompanied by a supporting statement. Within that statement, all of the below essential criteria must be addressed.

Essential criteria

1. Hold a PhD in Chemistry, Materials science, Physics or equivalent.
2. Demonstrable experience in either atomistic molecular dynamics simulations or quantum chemistry/density functional theory calculations
3. Demonstrable programming skills
4. Strong track record (commensurate to experience)
5. Excellent communication skills and team work attitude

Desirable criteria

1. Demonstrable experience in applying machine learning tools to computational chemistry
2. Demonstrable experience in developing/applying computational workflows for large datasets
3. Demonstrable experience in managing, deploying and documenting Python packages

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity & want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse & inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, & a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist.

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