Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Radio Propagation Studies

Durham University; North East; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious UK university is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Radio Propagation Studies. This full-time role involves conducting research on indoor/outdoor mobile environments and working with advanced radio propagation measurements. Applicants should have a good first degree and a PhD in Electronics Engineering. Key responsibilities include publishing high-quality research outputs and collaborating with industry. The position offers a competitive salary and numerous benefits, providing an excellent opportunity for aspiring researchers in a supportive environment.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Relocation support

Health and wellbeing support

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in conducting high-quality academic research.
• Demonstrated ability to write for publication in highly ranked journals.
• Ability to present research papers at national/international conferences.

Responsibilities

• Understand and convey complex material to teams through presentations.
• Publish high quality outputs including papers for peer-reviewed journals.
• Plan and manage own research activity and resources.

Skills

Programming in C

Gate arrays

Matlab

Teamwork

Independent work

Communication skills

Education

First degree in Electronics Engineering

PhD in Electronics Engineering

Job description

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long‑term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Radio Propagation Studies

Job Number: 25001793

Job Description

Department: Engineering

Grade: 7 – £38,784 per annum

Term: Fixed Term – Full Time

Working Arrangements: Monday-Friday

Closing Date

29-Jan-2026, 11:59:00 PM

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential.

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

The Department of Engineering at Durham University is recognised as being one of the very best in the UK. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise of 2021, the Department had 95% of publications rated as 3*/4*, and all impact case studies graded 3*/4*. The Engineering Department demonstrates significant depth of research excellence across a range of disciplines, with activities that are currently concentrated around three Research Challenges (Sustainable Infrastructure, Future Energy Systems and Advanced Materials, Electronics and Communications) and eight Research Nodes which group staff under technical expertise and interest (see https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/engineering/research/).

We are particularly proud of the collaborative interdisciplinary nature of our research, which also includes strong industrial partnerships. The strategic vision for the Department includes a major growth over the next five years, with a significant enhancement of the research challenge portfolio and a drive to enrich our undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research provision.

We are a scholarly community that is open, supportive, collegiate, representative and diverse: our commitment to this is expressed through the work of the Department’s Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Committee, and our Athena Swan Silver Award.

The Centre for Communication Systems has world class radio propagation measurements capabilities with state‑of‑the‑art radio channel sounders with multiple RF heads covering several frequency bands from 0.6 GHz to 330 GHz for mobile radio measurements, a large anechoic chamber, and a high end disdrometer weather station with multiple mm wave RF heads to study the impact of precipitation on fixed links in the built environment. Its research is supported by electronics and mechanical workshops.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Radio Propagation Studies for both indoor and outdoor mobile environments for potential spectrum sharing and modelling of the impact of precipitation on mm wave fixed radio links from the high‑end weather station installed at Durham University and measurement data.

The successful candidate will be working in the Centre for Communication Systems led by Professor Salous who is the lead academic at Durham University for the EPSRC project Transmission Channels Measurements and Communication System Design for Future mmWave Communications (mmWave TRACCS), which is a collaborative project with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and University College London (UCL). The project brings the complementary expertise of leading industry and UK research groups, to research, design and experimentally demonstrate systems working in typical deployment scenarios, in an integrative and holistic fashion. For such work, there are key challenges relating to the radio channel and system design.

Key Responsibilities

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non‑academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant‑holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant‑holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant‑holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant‑holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.

To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.

• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To prepare technical documents to be presented to partners and relevant standards.

This post is fixed term for 1 year with the potential for extension. It is expected that the successful applicant, ideally, will be in post by the 1st of March 2026 at the latest.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You’ll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost‑effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand‑new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.
• We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• We provide wide‑ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state‑of‑the‑art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24‑7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• Our on‑site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5‑16.
• Our family‑friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
• Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest‑free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
• Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under‑represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic‑related enquiries

For academic‑related enquiries, please contact the Department of Engineering: 0191 334 6801 or [e-mail]

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

For technical difficulties when using the online application form, send a brief description to [e-mail]. Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or [phone] from outside the UK. This number operates from 09:00 to 17:00 Monday‑Friday, UK time, and we normally respond within one working day (Monday‑Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.

What to Submit

• CV
• Cover letter detailing your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.

Next Steps

Short‑listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in‑person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include a short presentation to the interview panel followed by a discussion and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place early in 2026. In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• A good first degree in Electronics Engineering.
• A PhD in Electronics Engineering.

Experience

• Experience in programming in C, gate arrays and Matlab.
• Experience in conducting high‑quality academic research.
• Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly ranked journals.
• Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national/international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

Skills

• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
• Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.