Prize Fellow

University of Bath; Bath; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme

Relocation allowance

Visa reimbursement

Cycle to work

Family-friendly workplace

Job summary

The University of Bath invites applications for a Prize Fellow in Water Sensing Platforms within the Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Systems for Health Protection. You will develop an internationally leading independent research programme in water/wastewater sensing and contribute to teaching in sensing systems.

You will collaborate with Engineers, Chemists, Biologists and Social Scientists, align with CWBE and CBio, and work toward securing UK and international funding while publishing

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Ability to develop an internationally leading independent research programme.
• Experience with water or wastewater sensing systems is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop an internationally leading independent research programme in water/wastewater sensing.
• Teach sensing systems in lectures and laboratory classes.
• Support administration, leadership and management of the Department’s and CWBE activities.

Skills

Water sensing platforms

IoT deployment

Wastewater sensing

Autonomous sampling

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

Chemosensor development

Biosensor development

IoT deployment

Job description

About The Role

Join our thriving Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Systems for Health Protection and Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering as a Prize Fellow in Water Sensing Platforms.

The Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE) is a £13m interdisciplinary research centre, established in 2024 with funding from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England (E3) scheme, together with contributions from the University of Bath and partners.

We are working to transform public and environmental health management. We are establishing the first Urban Living Lab facility. This includes a new digital water sensing platform, training base, and idOur ambition is to provide a practical roadmap for a UK early-warning system. This will be co-produced with regional and national collaborators. It will serve as a sentinel and multigenerational testing site for research. novation. This platform will enable testing of public health and environmental interventions committed to growing community resilience to disease, pollution and climate change impacts.

We Are Looking To Recruit a Prize Fellow

• To develop an internationally leading independent research programme in the broad area of water/wastewater sensing systems.
• To teach aspects of sensing systems in both lectures and laboratory classes, maintaining the University’s high standards in teaching and learning, and its inclusive and supportive learning environment.
• To contribute, with support, at an appropriate level to the administration, leadership, and management of the Department’s and Centre’s activities.

About You

At Bath we offer an exceptional environment for research teaching and learning and we wish to support you in reaching your potential for internationally leading research, in the broad field of water-based epidemiology. Applications are invited for a Prize Fellow position in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering to join the multidisciplinary CWBE team, working on wastewater-based early warning systems for public health protection.

The successful candidate will develop an independent research programme aligned with the CWBE mission while expanding the Centre's existing capabilities in water/wastewater sensing platforms. Experience with water or wastewater sensing systems such as chemosensor/biosensor development, sensor deployment, deployable analyte pre-concentration systems, autonomous sampling systems, or IoT is required. The applicant is expected to have expertise in one or two of the areas above and be able to work across the other areas. [BM1] As part of the CWBE team you will work alongside Engineers, Chemists, Biologists and Social Scientists and as such teamwork is essential. You will also be embedded within the Centre for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies (CBio), including experts on sensors, autonomous systems and IoT. Both CWBE and CBio are highly supportive and inclusive environments, with vibrant research activity.

You should hold a PhD and be able to demonstrate the potential to develop an internationally leading research programme, to acquire significant funding from UK and international sources, and to produce high-quality publications.

Further Information

This role is a full-time fixed term position (36.5 hours per week for 24 months). Subject to satisfactory progress at the end of the fixed term, the position will transfer to a Lectureship in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering and CWBE.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Benjamin Metcalfe, Head of Department ([e-mail]) or Professor Pedro Estrela, Co-Director of CWBE ([e-mail]).

Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place on 20 November 2026.

Why Join Us

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under‑represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We’re very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

What we can offer you

Benefits

• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
• Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• A family-friendly workplace
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance
• Visa reimbursement and Interest‑Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
• Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app

Be Well at Bath

We’re Committed To Creating a Health-supporting Working Environment Where Everyone Can Thrive And Be At Their Best. We Offer a Range Of Resources To Enable You To Do That From Your First Day Here, Including

• Staff support groups and networks
• A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
• A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive

Further Details

• Job Description & Person Specification

Right to Work in the UK: We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.

Anonymous shortlisting: We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.