Job Description

About us UCL Department of Chemical Engineering is one of the top research and teaching departments in the UK and has world-class standing. The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and has an extensive research portfolio across a wealth of areas, and from molecular scale to complex systems. It is undergoing a period of rapid growth, and is the home of the EPSRC \xe2\x80\x9cFrontier Engineering\xe2\x80\x9d Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering, as well as the Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory. For more information see www.ucl.ac.uk/chemeng

The Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL) is a new facility opened in September 2023 which houses leading facilities focussed on the development of electrochemical methods for propulsion. The group works alongside the Electrochemical Innovation Lab, one of the largest research groups in this area in the world, and has substantial research funding from the Faraday Institution, Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK.

About the role The post holder will be required to carry out research to develop high-throughput methods to screen and select Li-ion cells which meet a range of performance metrics relevant to the aerospace sector. In addition, the post holder will perform a suite of degradation studies to identify characteristic behaviours which can be used to qualify and validate cells.

Main duties include:
\xc2\xb7 To develop tools to track the condition of Li-ion batteries in operation using acoustic methods
\xc2\xb7 To undertake data analysis to extend the understanding of acoustic methods in the monitoring of batteries
\xc2\xb7 To actively manage collaborations, attend meetings and report to partners as required \xc2\xb7 To contribute to the drafting and submission of reports for the funding bodies and scientific literature, where appropriate.

The role is available to 30 April 2024 in the first instance.

About you This is an excellent opportunity for a dynamic and ambitious experimental researcher with interests in batteries, electrochemical engineering and device characterisation to undertake a research position as part of collaboration with academic partners focussed on improving the understanding of Li-ion batteries during operation. The post holder will contribute to the development of important new insights in the monitoring of batteries and will work closely with other researchers to develop these concepts.

The successful candidate will have significant experience in a research environment and have excellent laboratory skills, with experience testing electrochemical systems being particularly desirable. Computational experience is not essential, but the candidate should be proficient in data analysis and interpretation. Prior knowledge of batteries, device characterisation techniques, and electrochemical engineering is a strong advantage.

You should hold (or shortly expect to obtain) a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics, or a closely related discipline. You must be motivated, independent and hard-working with a strong research/technical background in areas relevant to this project: particularly electrochemical testing and characterisation. Additionally, you should be comfortable working as part of a wider team and presenting results & developments to project partners. Peer reviewed publications in relevant fields are a requirement.

What we offer As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
On-Site nursery
On-site gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion As London\xe2\x80\x99s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world\xe2\x80\x99s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL\xe2\x80\x99s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

University College London