Research Fellow in Sustainable Process Engineering

Opportunita; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days holiday

Generous pension

Life assurance

On-site gym access

Personal development courses

On-site childcare

Shopping discounts

Travel schemes

Job summary

University of Leeds is seeking a Research Fellow in Sustainable Process Engineering to develop and optimise solvent production and purification processes for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The role focuses on scale-up and integration of membrane separation technologies within an innovative, energy-efficient process design framework.

You will contribute to a funded project under InnovateUK, collaborating with partners across academia and industry, and help deliver low-carbon solvent solutions for

Qualifications

• Experience in Process Systems Engineering and Sustainability.
• Interest in developing sustainable solvent production and purification processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimise and scale up advanced solvent production and purification processes.
• Integrate novel membrane separation technologies, process design and mathematical models.
• Perform mass and energy integration and evaluate integrated process performance.

Skills

Process systems engineering

Sustainability

Job description

# Research Fellow in Sustainable Process EngineeringUniversity of Leeds Leeds, United KingdomSalary: **£41,885 to £49,798**Application Deadline: **November 12, 2026**Position Type: **Other**Date Posted: **November 5, 2026**Contact Email: **[e-mail]**Source details may be limited## Project DescriptionDo you have a strong interest in sustainable processes? Do you have experience in Process Systems Engineering and Sustainability? Are you keen to develop your career in optimising novel separations? Do you want to join one of the UK’s research Intensive Universities?A key challenge in decarbonising pharmaceutical manufacturing is the production of high-purity solvents required for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) synthesis, chromatography and cleaning operations. Existing bio-based solvents often fail to meet the stringent moisture, purity and quality specifications demanded by the pharmaceutical sector, while conventional purification methods are highly energy intensive and economically prohibitive.In this project, you will focus on the development, optimisation and scale-up of advanced solvent production and purification processes, integrating novel membrane separation technologies, process design and mathematical models to deliver pharmaceutical-grade solvents at industrially relevant scales. The work will involve process design, separation and dehydration system optimisation, mass and energy integration, and integrated process performance and evaluation. These activities will establish scalable manufacturing routes that reduce energy consumption, improve resource efficiency and enable the production of low-carbon solvents suitable for deployment across global medicines manufacturing supply chains.This project is funded via the InnovateUK Industrialising UK Bio-based Solvents for Global Medicine Manufacturing, with partners across the University of Leeds, Queen Mary University London, Exactmer Limited, Celtic Renewables Limited, OXCCU Tech LTD, Solve Chemistry LTD, Atmospheric AI Limited and the Centre for Process Innovation Limited.**What we offer in return*** 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!* Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary* Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.* Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.* Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.And much more!To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:Dr. Keeran Ward, Associate Professor in Chemical EngineeringEmail: [e-mail]---### Academic [e-mail]05/11/2026Last UpdateUniversity of Leedsjobs.leeds.ac.uk## Apply for this positionThis application must be completed through the official university portal.Apply on official website