Research Associate in Circular Economy

We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate to work on a funded research project involving the use of ionic liquids in circular economy concepts, including wastewater treatment and metal recycling, in the .

This position will focus on two of the biggest challenges facing society – the provision of clean water and circular materials for our growing population. Our research efforts have established ionic liquids as viable media for processing waste materials in a circular economy. Here we seek the use of immobilised ionic liquids to recover rare earth and heavy metal contaminants from waste streams. We seek both batch and continuous process options using ionic liquids. The Research Associate will synthesise novel ionic liquids, immobilise them on solid inorganic supports and build a continuous apparatus for trace element removal from contaminated waste streams.

This will be a fixed term appointment for up to 12 months in the first instance.

You will take initiative in the design of your research programme and performance of experiments and direct a team of researchers from the PhD and Masters level in the pursuit of a viable process option. You will be able to synthesise ionic liquids, analyse their immobilised state on inorganic supports and perform trace element analysis on liquid and solid streams to monitor extraction success. 

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £43,0003 – £46,297 per annum.