Research Fellow (Upcycling Mineral “Wastes” in Cementitious Binders)

FTE: 1 FTE (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term 14 months

Salary: UH7 £38,249 pa with potential to progress to £45,413 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 contribute to the evolution of an ongoing research programme on the upcycling mineral “wastes” into binders (cementitious and non-cementitious). The successful candidate will support the development of experimental protocols for characterisation and post-processing of mineral powder wastes 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 postholder 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, and any other external partners and stakeholders. 

The post is available for 14 months on the first instance.

Skill and experience required

The post holder will require experience in cement chemistry and evolution of hydration processes in cementitious and/or non-cementitious binders. In addition, experience with microstructural characterization techniques, thermo-mechanochemical processing of minerals and assessment of bulk properties of cementitious and/or non-cementitious systems is essential.

You will require knowledge of characterisation techniques at both macro- and microstructural levels as well as knowledge of fabrication samples accordingly depending on the experimental procedures to be followed.

You will require excellent relevant IT Skills, and the ability to plan and manage your own activities effectively. You will have great interpersonal and presentation skills with attention to detail and be able to communicate effectively in both spoken and written English.

Qualifications required

You will require a minimum of an undergraduate honours degree at a minimum 2:2 (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline and a PhD (or equivalent qualification), or close to completion of PhD (no more than 3 months prior to viva) in a relevant subject area, or equivalent experience.

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.

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

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: 23 March 2025

Interview Date: TBC

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