Research Associate (Postdoc) in Material Flow Analysis of chemicals

International Society for Industrial Ecology; Bath; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research organization is seeking a Research Associate (Postdoc) in Material Flow Analysis of chemicals. This full-time role involves modeling processes and conducting Material Flow Analysis to assess their environmental impacts. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in a relevant field, knowledge of chemistry, and experience with quantitative modeling. The position offers a salary starting from £37,999 and is based in Bath, UK.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant subject area.
• Knowledge of chemistry, chemical engineering, or polymers.
• Expertise in quantitative systems/process modelling.
• Good organisational and presentation skills.
• Ability to work well in an interdisciplinary environment.

Responsibilities

• Conduct UK-scale Material Flow Analysis for chemicals.
• Model new chemistry/processes and their environmental impacts.
• Collaborate on Life Cycle Assessment with the SCHEMA project.

Skills

Quantitative systems/process modelling

Knowledge of chemistry

Expertise in Material Flow Analysis

Good organisational skills

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in a relevant subject area

Tools

Python

Job description

Research Associate (Postdoc) in Material Flow Analysis of chemicals

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled and motivated researcher, with an interest in working at the interface of industrial ecology, chemistry and chemical engineering.

This project aims to understand how the innovative chemical manufacturing technologies being developed within the SCHEMA HUB could scale up to affect UK emissions and environmental impacts, and under what conditions they will lead to the most significant reductions in impacts. This will provide important insight to help to set targets for science/technology development (e.g. what level of energy consumption needs to be reached, to be on track to achieve desired emissions reduction at the larger national scale?), and inform national understanding of whether current developments are likely to be enough to reach decarbonisation goals, or whether broader changes in polymer use and Circular Economy measures are necessary.

The project will involve:

• UK-scale Material Flow Analysis for chemical and polymer production and consumption;
• Modelling of new chemistry/processes/routes being studied within SCHEMA and how they affect the MFA system in uncertain future scenarios; and
• Working closely with a parallel SCHEMA project at Bath on Prospective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), explore the effect of new processes on future environmental impacts.

This position is offered full time, fixed term for 24 months from April 2025. Part time working and/or some degree of flexible working may be possible and if interested in applying on this basis you should make this clear on your application form.

About you

Our ideal candidate will have:

• A PhD in a relevant subject area
• Knowledge of chemistry, chemical engineering and/or polymers (or, perhaps you have instead a strong ability for interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers in chemistry and chemical engineering, and a willingness to learn).
• Expertise in quantitative systems/process modelling, such as Material Flow Analysis or Life Cycle Assessment, or experience in other relevant modelling / data analysis projects and a proven ability to learn and apply new modelling approaches.
• Good organisational and presentation skills.
• The ability to work well in an interdisciplinary environment.

In our group, we work with Python, version control, and similar tools for developing and sharing research code and models. If you like working in this way, that’s great, but also many are new to this and we’ll support you to learn as appropriate.

A lower grade offer may be made (Grade 6) with comparable reduction in responsibilities and amendment in job title to Research Assistant, if a suitable applicant cannot be found to fill the Grade 7 position. Applicants will need to be within six months of their course completion date and will be promoted to Research Associate once their PhD has been awarded.

Further information

Please ensure you submit your application via our website.

For informal questions about the role, please contact Dr Rick Lupton ([e-mail] ).

Starting from £37,999, rising to £45,163

• Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change