Job Description Job Summary
We are seeking a Research Associate to join the Mechanics of Infrastructure Materials research group to work on the UKRI funded project “Generating a material database to enable the Virtual Testing paradigm in hydrogen-containing environments.” The purpose of this role will focus on improving the understanding of hydrogen uptake kinetics using experimental methods. You will work under the supervision of Dr Livia Cupertino Malheiros and in close collaboration with Professor Emilio Martínez-Pañeda at the University of Oxford.
Hydrogen embrittlement is arguably the biggest threat to the deployment of a hydrogen energy infrastructure and the cause of numerous structural integrity problems in the transport, defence, marine and construction sectors. When exposed to hydrogen, metallic materials exhibit a significant drop in ductility and fracture toughness (of up to 90%). There is a need to improve our understanding of the underlying physics governing hydrogen embrittlement, especially hydrogen uptake predictions, to guide design and operation and develop novel scientific solutions to this pressing problem.
You will have access to innovative equipment for characterising the hydrogen production and uptake on aqueous electrolytes. The initial term will be 12 months, with a preferred starting date of January 2024.
Duties And Responsibilities
You will be responsible for conducting a wide variety of experimental tasks, including (but not limited to) microscopy, electrochemistry (e.g., polarisation, EIS), hydrogen permeation, and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). You will also take part in collaborative work with the activities of the research group, submit publications to reputed journals and liaise with academic collaborators and sponsors.
Please refer to the job description for the full list of research duties. A select list is included below:
- Develop and conduct electrochemical experiments to gain insight into hydrogen uptake in metals
- Perform material characterisation
- To take initiative in the planning of research
- To develop contacts and research collaborations within the College and the wider community
Essential requirements
Please refer to the job description for the full list of essential requirements. A select list is included below:
- A PhD in materials science, engineering, physics, chemistry, or a closely related field, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience.
- Knowledge and experience of Electrochemistry
- Experience in surface analysis
- Experience in hydrogen embrittlement
- Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication.
Further information
As Imperial College staff, in addition to a competitive salary and package of attractive terms and conditions of service, we offer many more benefits to enjoy. This includes career development tailored to your ambitions, an attractive pension scheme, and generous family leave packages. We have a flexible, supportive work environment and encourage you to achieve and maintain a healthy work-life balance!
For informal enquiries about the post please contact Dr Livia Cupertino Malheiros l.cupertino-malheiros@imperial.ac.uk
For queries regarding the recruitment process please contact Briony Webb on b.webb@imperial.ac.uk
Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £40,694- £43,888 per annum.
Please make sure to upload a CV and a cover letter with your application.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds and disabilities. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the interview process and to perform crucial job functions, as well as other support including staff networks. Please contact us to request accommodation.
The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/
The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level.
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research /
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Disability Confident Leader and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.