Research Chemist (Metals)

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; Lancaster; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental research institute is looking for an Inorganic Research Chemist to join their Analytical Chemistry team in Lancaster. This role involves developing analytical methods, collaborating on research projects, and ensuring quality and integrity of data. The ideal candidate should have a PhD in Environmental Chemistry, significant experience in inorganic analysis, and a proven track record of publishing research. The position offers a salary between £38,939 and £41,321 and various benefits including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus Christmas closure days

10% employer pension contribution

Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

Dental insurance and gym discounts

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Qualifications

• A PhD in Environmental Chemistry or MSc with at least 5 years’ experience in an accredited laboratory.
• Understanding of environmental chemistry principles, especially related to metals.
• Experience in environmental chemical analyses with knowledge of relevant techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of analytical methods from new scientific opportunities.
• Provide analytical data for peer-reviewed publications and reports.
• Manage laboratory operations and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Inorganic analysis

Analytical chemistry

Method development

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Environmental Chemistry

MSc with at least 5 years' experience

Tools

ICP-MS

ICP-OES

XRF techniques

Job description

Salary - £38,939 to £41,321. Permanent. Full-time or part-time >0.8FTE. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Inorganic Research Chemist to join our Analytical Chemistry team in Lancaster, within the acclaimed Environmental Pressures and Responses Group. This multidisciplinary team is at the forefront of understanding how pollution, land‑use change, and climate pressures affect ecosystems. Working across air, land, and water, we generate high‑quality evidence that directly informs action on environmental change.

We are seeking a driven and experienced analytical Chemist with strong expertise in inorganic analysis, particularly metal analyses, who is motivated by both scientific excellence and real‑world impact. In this role, you will work in close collaboration with colleagues across UKCEH and the wider scientific community, helping to identify emerging research challenges and shaping compelling ideas that attract funding. For individuals who enjoy translating scientific insight into funded research and innovative analytical capability, this is an especially rewarding opportunity.

You will thrive in this role if you are ideas‑driven, collaborative, and proactive, with a genuine curiosity for solving complex scientific problems. Comfortable working across multiple projects, you will bring a high level of accuracy, attention to detail, and personal ownership, alongside the creativity to develop and implement novel analytical approaches. Innovation is actively encouraged, and your contributions will directly influence the direction and capability of the team.

We are particularly keen to hear from chemists who are excited by the funding and partnership‑building aspects of research. You will enjoy seeking out opportunities for collaboration, developing research ideas, writing grant applications, and responding to tenders. Whether through advancing laboratory methodologies, building on existing professional networks, or generating fundable ideas rooted in PhD‑level or applied research, you will be resourceful, investigative, and motivated to generate income and impact.

Responsibilities

• Leading the development of analytical methods arising from new scientific and funding opportunities, including method validation and the preparation of robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Contributing to, and leading where appropriate, high‑impact scientific outputs, providing analytical data and methodological content for peer‑reviewed publications, customer reports, presentations, and book or book chapters.
• Ensuring the quality and integrity of analytical data, including oversight of data generation where required.
• Training, mentoring, and supervising laboratory staff, supporting skills development and maintaining high technical standards across the team.
• Managing laboratory operations, including responsibility for the safe use of facilities, compliance with COSHH, and day‑to‑day lab management.
• Working within the laboratory quality system and ISO 17025, including managing inorganic non‑conforming work investigations and undertaking internal audits across the group.
• Liaising directly with instrument manufacturers, contributing to the evaluation and selection of new analytical instrumentation.
• Performing routine analyses when required, ensuring continuity and resilience of laboratory capability.
• As the role develops, there may be opportunities to take on line management responsibilities.

In this role, you will join a well‑established team working in world‑class laboratories, equipped with cutting‑edge analytical instrumentation, advanced methodologies, and comprehensive sample preparation facilities. You will contribute to the delivery of high‑quality, innovative analytical data, including work accredited to UKAS ISO 17025:2017, supporting a wide range of impactful projects. The Lancaster laboratories have achieved the highest certification (Gold) under the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), the world’s largest green laboratory certification scheme.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to help shape the future of analytical chemistry within environmental science, strengthening capability, fostering collaboration, and contributing to the long‑term sustainability and influence of the team.

Qualifications

• A PhD in Environmental Chemistry and/or an MSc with at least 5 years’ experience in an accredited laboratory.
• An understanding of fundamental environmental chemistry principles, particularly as they relate to the behaviour and analysis of metals.
• Proven experience in environmental chemical analyses with working knowledge of ICP‑MS, ICP‑OES, and XRF techniques (including method development and optimisation).
• Specialist knowledge of method development for metals analysis in niche matrices.
• Established track record of publishing in peer‑reviewed journals and delivering impactful presentations at scientific conferences.
• Demonstrated success in securing research funding through competitive bids (highly desirable, not essential).

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not‑for‑profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure.
• 10% employer pension contribution.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant).
• Peer reward and recognition scheme.
• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• 24‑hour, 365‑day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more.

How to Apply

If this opportunity aligns with your career aspirations, we would be pleased to receive your application. Please submit your CV together with a short Supporting Statement of 450–600 words, structured in response to the three questions below. ( * Please note that cover letters will not be accepted and will not be considered as part of the application process).

1. Funding and bids: Describe a funding opportunity you identified or pursued, why it was prioritised, and how you developed a competitive proposal.
2. Analytical innovation: Give an example of developing or adapting an inorganic analytical approach. What challenges did you face, how were they overcome, and what was the outcome?
3. Networking and communication: Describe effective networking practices you use to support collaboration, and how you have shared your work with the scientific community or stakeholders.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

At UKCEH, we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and circumstances. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and people with disabilities, and we’re happy to provide adjustments or support at any stage of the recruitment process - just let us know. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.

Visa Sponsorship

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role and this does not qualify for endorsement to support a Global Talent Visa application. If you are considering pursuing self‑sponsorship, please indicate this in your application so we can take it into account during the recruitment process.