Research Associate in Environmental Sustainability Assessment in Healthcare Materials Provision

The University of Manchester; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in Manchester is seeking a Post-doctoral Research Associate to work on a sustainability project addressing plastic waste in healthcare. The candidate will evaluate circular pathways and support student mentorship. Ideal candidates will have a PhD and expertise in life cycle assessment and sustainability evaluations. The position offers a dynamic research environment with excellent benefits including a competitive pension scheme and health services.

Benefits

Fantastic market leading Pension scheme

Excellent employee health and wellbeing services

Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement

Additional paid closure over the Christmas period

Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

Qualifications

• Experience in life cycle thinking and sustainability assessments.
• Strong quantitative analysis skills.
• Ability to collaborate and mentor students.

Responsibilities

• Assess the environmental sustainability of circular pathways.
• Support the day-to-day running of the research group.
• Mentor PhD and undergraduate students.

Skills

Life cycle thinking

Sustainability assessment

Life cycle assessment (LCA)

Collaboration

Mentorship

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Job description

This 3-year research associate position forms part of an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership between The University of Manchester and healthcare provider Bupa. The research programme aims to address the challenges of plastic waste in healthcare settings by exploring the relationship between social practice, material selection, reuse, and recycling without sacrificing high-level clinical outcomes. In response to complex sustainability challenges in the sector, the team will be looking at circular pathways, identify barriers and unintended consequences, to try and minimise the environmental impacts of materials in healthcare settings. The project is a collaborative effort, with three post-docs and two PhD students working together in an interdisciplinary environment to build actionable solutions to address the sector's reliance on single-use items (SUIs) for infection control, consistency, and cost efficiency. The project will work on evaluating material selection, segregation, sterilisation, reuse and recycling while evaluating the associated contributions to environmental impacts, waste, and plastic pollution.

We are recruiting an enthusiastic and collaborative post-doctoral research associate with expertise in life cycle thinking, sustainability assessment and life cycle assessment (LCA), to join our multidisciplinary research team and become part of Dr. Cuéllar-Franca's sustainability research group. The post-holder will play a key role in delivering the work package responsible for assessing the environmental sustainability of the various circular pathways explored within this project, providing robust quantitative evidence to inform decision-making. A critical aspect of this role will involve addressing the complexities of accounting for recycled waste streams in LCA to enhance the quality and precision of the analyses and outputs. In addition to research responsibilities, the post-holder will support the day-to-day running of the group, offering technical guidance, mentorship, and supervision to PhD and undergraduate students when required. This includes assisting with research activities, fostering collaboration within the group, and contributing to a dynamic and productive research environment.

The role will be based in the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, which works at the interface between the Sustainable Futures research platform at the University of Manchester and the Henry Royce Institute, the UK's national lab for advanced materials. The Hub supports innovation in sustainable plastics and multi-materials, with a particular emphasis on tackling industrially relevant research questions. The team is necessarily interdisciplinary, with polymer scientists working with economists, social scientists and life-cycle experts to co-create robust solutions to managing plastic from creation to end-of-life. Collaborators from across the university bring expertise in social science, life cycle assessment, chemical depolymerisation, biomedical materials science, recycling and systems to support the project.

What you will get in return:

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

As an equal opportunities employer we support an inclusive working environment and welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

Our University is positive about flexible working - you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any CV's submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Dr. Rosa Cuéllar Franca and Prof. Michael Shaver

Email: [e-mail] / [e-mail]

General enquiries:

Email: [e-mail]

Technical support:

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link below for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.

Please be aware that due to the number of applications we are unfortunately not able to provide individual feedback on your application.