Research Fellow in Thermal Comfort and Energy Systems

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Working time: 18.75 hours per week (either one part-time Research Fellow for 2.5 days a week or two part-time Research Fellows for 1 and 1.5 days a week)

Contract type: Fixed term (Until 31^st March 2026 - To complete specific time limited work.)

Are you an early career researcher looking for your first challenge? Do you have a background in Architecture or Engineering with a PhD related to thermal comfort, thermoelectric devices and/or Phase Change Materials? Are you enthusiastic about developing new technologies and enhancing people’s life through increasing their comfort and reducing their energy bills? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities?

We are seeking an experienced part-time Research Fellow(s) to join our interdisciplinary research team on the "Cool me, Warm me (CW)" project. The project focuses on developing innovative Personal Comfort Systems using Phase Change Materials (PCM) and thermoelectric devices to provide individualised heating and cooling. The successful candidate will bring a strong background in thermal comfort and energy systems to this groundbreaking research, contributing to the development of technology that enhances user comfort while reducing energy consumption.

As a Research Fellow, you will work closely with our academic and industrial collaborators to develop, prototype, and evaluate this new technology, as a solution to provide personal thermal comfort. You will focus on exploring how PCM and thermoelectric devices can be optimised for different environments and user needs. This position will require both theoretical and practical research, with tasks ranging from prototype development, numerical simulations, lab-based experimental validation, co-design workshops, and field test studies. You will be involved in organising co-production workshops to develop the ideas, writing funding bids and dissemination. Your research will be instrumental in advancing the project’s goals of creating energy-efficient and user-friendly thermal comfort systems for various settings.

This role is part-time (0.5 FTE), however we are open to considering a job share arrangement. This could involve either one part-time Research Fellow working 2.5 days per week or two part-time Research Fellows working 1 and 1.5 days per week, respectively.

This role will be based at the university of Leeds campus and there is scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Sally Shahzad, Associate Professor of Architecture

Email: S.Shahzad@leeds.ac.uk

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information, please visit the Government’s Skilled Worker visa page.

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information, please visit the Government’s page, Apply for the Global Talent visa.

Advert information