Research fellow in Circular Manufacturing (0.5 Full time equivalent) (24 months fixed-term contract) - Internal only

Brighton; Brighton; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of Brighton is seeking a motivated Research Fellow to join RESCu-M², the EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Circular Manufacturing and Materials. The role is fixed-term for 24 months at 0.5 FTE, based in Brighton.

You will design and conduct research into circular manufacturing, collaborate with partner universities and industry, publish results, and help supervise students while developing funding potential.

Qualifications

• PhD in design, manufacturing, circular economy or life extension, or equivalent experience.
• Breadth or depth of specialist knowledge and research experience in one or more relevant areas.
• Experience in applying appropriate research methods to engineering or quantitative problems.
• Ability to conduct high-quality independent and collaborative research, analyse and interpret results, and communicate research findings effectively.

Responsibilities

• Designing and conducting research into circular manufacturing and value retention processes.
• Developing and evaluating methods to assess product or component condition, performance and suitability for further use.
• Working with academic and industrial partners to identify challenges, collect and analyse data, and validate research outcomes.
• Publishing findings and contributing to project reports, conferences and knowledge exchange activities.
• Supporting the wider research team and contributing to student research where appropriate.

Skills

Research methods

Independent research

Collaborative research

Data analysis

Education

PhD in design, manufacturing, circular economy or life extension

Tools

Quantitative analysis

Job description

Research fellow in Circular Manufacturing (0.5 Full time equivalent) (24 months fixed-term contract) - Internal only

School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering

Location: Brighton - Moulsecoomb

ContractLength: 24 months

FixedTermEndDate: 14/12/2028

ClosingDate: Thursday 05 November 2026

Reference: TE4071-26-228

We are seeking a motivated Research Fellow to join the University of Brighton’s team within RESCu-M², the EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Robotics, Automation and Smart Machine Enabled Sustainable Circular Manufacturing and Materials.

RESCu-M² aims to advance circular manufacturing through robotics, artificial intelligence and intelligent automation, enabling more effective reuse, repair, repurposing, remanufacturing and recycling. Led by the University of Birmingham, the hub brings together the universities of Brighton, Strathclyde, Leeds, Sheffield and Loughborough, industry partners, standard agency, city councils to deliver cutting-edg research and impacts

At Research Fellow level (AC2), staff are expected to be involved in the developing, planning and managing of research projects in consultation with a Principal Investigator, developing a publication record and learning to generate funding and supervise less experienced researchers. The role will normally require a level of research knowledge, skill, and experience equivalent to PhD. Research Fellows may also be expected to contribute to the teaching and/or consultancy activities to ensure continuous development of knowledge in the subject area.

Working with Professor Yan Wang and colleagues across the hub, you will undertake research to improve the assessment, recovery and continued use of products, components and materials. You will contribute to Brighton’s research in inspection, sensing and analysis; testing, validation and certification, robotics; and circular business models.

The role offers opportunities to collaborate with researchers across the partner universities and work with industry to develop and validate practical solutions. You will also support Brighton’s role as the hub’s south-east regional spoke, helping manufacturers access research expertise and develop circular manufacturing capabilities.

Your responsibilities will include:

Designing and conducting research into circular manufacturing and value retention processes.

Developing and evaluating methods to assess product or component condition, performance and suitability for further use.

Working with academic and industrial partners to identify challenges, collect and analyse data, and validate research outcomes.

Publishing findings and contributing to project reports, conferences and knowledge exchange activities.

Supporting the wider research team and contributing to student research where appropriate.

The successful candidate will have:

• A PhD in design, manufacturing, circular economy or life extension, or equivalent experience
• Sufficient, up‑to‑date breadth or depth of specialist knowledge and research experience in one or more relevant areas.
• Experience in applying appropriate research methods to engineering or quantitative problems, which may include engineering design and analysis, circular manufacturing, intelligent systems, data analysis.
• Ability to conduct high‑quality independent and collaborative research, analyse and interpret results, and communicate research findings effectively.

This role is a fixed term position for 24 months and is not available on a job share arrangement due to it being 0.5 full-time equivalent.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment for all staff regardless of age, disability, family or caring responsibilities, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief (including non-belief), sex and sexual orientation. We embrace equality and diversity in our working, learning, research and teaching environment and are committed to maintaining a supportive and inclusive community. We particularly encourage applicants from Minority Ethnic backgrounds because the University is under-represented by Minority Ethnic staff.
For the vast majority of our roles we operate an agile working system, with time split between working on campus and at the employee's home. It is the University's expectation that home working will take place within the UK.

Further information about working for us, as well as the wide range of benefits we offer, can be found in the working with us section of our vacancies page.