Research Assistant/ Associate in the Circular Economy of Chemicals

Salary: 

Research Assistant:  £32,296 - £33,882 per annum

Research Associate: £34,866 - £35,880 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 06 December 2024

The role

The school of Natural and enviornmantal sciences are looking to appoint a Research Assistant/Associate in the Circular Economy of Chemicals.

This role will provide the sucessful candidate with the opportunity to work with academics and industry partners in the UKRI National Centre for the Chemical Circular Economy to prepare a roadmap showing the current status and future prospects for the circular economy of olefins (i.e. why and how to get there).

Key actions and milestones of the project will be visually presented to give a holistic view of the chemical industry & related supply chains. The sucessful candidate will also map out the requirements & milestones for drafting new standards & QC testing of materials entering the supply chain, where new products or feedstocks from circular routes replace linear ones. It will also facilitate knowledge exchange between partners to identify areas where the Centre can accelerate progress. 

We will publish papers to report on our research findings and guidelines. The outcomes will be disseminated through workshops, press releases and online content to the benefit of wider community.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

For more information  on the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Chemical Economy please see here.

For more information on the School of Natural and Environmental Science please see https://www.ncl.ac.uk/nes/ 

This is a fixed term post for the duration of 4 months.

For informal enquires about the post, please contact Elizabeth Gibson in the first instance (elizabeth.gibson@newcastle.ac.uk) 

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 
•    Experienced in communicating with a variety of stakeholders
•    Knowledge in chemistry related to recycling of plastics or catalysis of renewable feedstocks
•    Experience in presenting complex resource flows in a visually engaging and straightforward way
•    A familiarity with the challenges and opportunities for chemistry-based solutions for circular resource flows
•    A record of publication commensurate with experience level
•    Experience in creating and evaluating surveys and interviews
•    An excellent standard of written and verbal English
•    Excellent communication skills and the ability to work within a team

Attributes and Behaviour
•    Strong organisational skills and ability to curate and manage data, including open access
•    Self-motivation, a determination to succeed and a commitment to high standards
•    The capacity to undertake original research and work independently
•    A willingness to engage in research collaborations with co-workers at Newcastle and elsewhere
•    A willingness to take on the day-to-day supervision of postgraduate and undergraduate students as necessary
•    A commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in alignment with the principles of Newcastle University

Qualifications
•    PhD (Completed essential for research associate or near completion essential for research assistant) in chemistry or a related discipline
 

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27770