Research Assistant/Associate in Structural Timber Engineering (Fixed Term)

A position exists, for a Research Assistant/Associate in the Department of Engineering, to work on structural timber engineering. The post holder will be located in West Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.

The successful candidate will carry out experimental and numerical research to explore the influence of size and system effects on the strength of engineered timber components. The understanding that will be developed in the course of this research will be important for the safe design of very large, engineered timber structures.

The key responsibilities and duties are:

• Conduct research and administrative activities in support of the aims and objectives of the funded research project, with guidance from the Project Lead.
• Continually update knowledge and understanding of field or specialism.
• Design, prepare and carry out experimental and numerical investigations for the generation of new knowledge and understanding.
• Manage own research and administrative activities, with guidance if required.
• Write up research work for presentation and publication.
• Communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature.

Applicants must have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD or equivalent experience, in structural engineering, materials engineering, material science, or other relevant field. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be amended to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months or until 30 March 2027,  whichever comes soonest.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above

This vacancy is being studied as part of the Action Research on Research Culture project (ARRC) https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research/research-projects/research-culture/

You need to submit both a narrative CV and your standard CV, and any other documents requested by the recruiter, such as a cover letter, to apply for this post, regardless of your decision to take part in the study.

You should use the Narrative CV template linked here: https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Narrative-CV-Template-Resume-for-Research.docx .

Following the template, Your Narrative CV should be structured around these four subheadings:

MODULE 1 - How have you contributed to the generation of knowledge?

MODULE 2 - How have you contributed to the development of individuals?

MODULE 3 - How have you contributed to the wider research community?

MODULE 4 - How have you contributed to broader society?

Try not to let your CV go over 3 pages; don't worry if it is shorter. A 25-minute course on preparing a narrative CV from the University of Glasgow can be found here:

https://rise.articulate.com/share/NyPk_PNlENdfRS5R5catqqiJzs3woS3Y#/.

Both your Narrative CV and standard CV will be used together to make shortlisting decisions, so don't worry if the Narrative CV format is unfamiliar to you. Your choice of whether to participate in the study will not affect your chance of being appointed: no one involved in the decision making will be told who has agreed to participate until the hiring decision has been made.

After the advertisement has closed, the ARRC team will contact you by email to ask if you are willing to participate in the ARRC study. If you have questions about participation in the ARRC project, please contact: arrcproject@admin.cam.ac.uk

If you consent to take part in the study, the ARRC team will use information from the shortlisting process to understand the impact of CV format. We will also ask you to fill out a short questionnaire. Full details on the study can be found in the ARRC participant information sheet on the following pages.

You can use the checklist below to help you keep track of all the supporting documents you need to upload to apply for this vacancy. 

1. Narrative CV (this must be submitted regardless of your decision to take part in the ARRC study): PLEASE NAME THIS "YourNameNarrativeCV"
2. Standard CV: PLEASE NAME THIS "YourNameStandardCV"
3. Cover letter outlining how you meet the job criteria and why you want the role: PLEASE NAME THIS "YourNameCoverLetter"

Please ensure that you upload your standard Curriculum Vitae (CV), Narrative Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a covering letter the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please submit your application by midnight on the closing date.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Dr Robert Foster rmf41@cam.ac.uk for queries of a technical nature related to the role and Alexandra Roche div-d-coordinator@eng.cam.ac.uk for queries related to the application process.

Please quote reference NM44787 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.