Research Fellow - School of Engineering - 108142 - Grade 7

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Birmingham is seeking a qualified researcher to join the OncoEng programme, focused on metastatic bone disease in the spine. You will lead development of novel hardware/software protocols for surgical instrumentation and fatigue-testing setups.

The role involves designing experiments, analysing results, writing bids, supervising students, and contributing to enterprise activities. Fixed-term until Feb 2028; starting salary £36,636–£46,049.

Qualifications

• First degree in area of specialism with a higher degree relevant to the research area or equivalent qualifications.
• Strong background/interest in spinal/bone biomechanics, materials characterisation and testing of biological tissues.
• Proven skills in mechanical engineering design.
• Demonstrable aptitude for experimental research with a strong understanding of the underpinning engineering science.
• High level analytical capability.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones.
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively.
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes.
• Contribute to planning and organising the research programme and/or specific research project.
• Coordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.

Responsibilities

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with mentor support.
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding.
• Analyse and interpret data.
• Apply knowledge to develop new intellectual understanding.
• Disseminate research findings for publication or seminars.
• Supervise students on research projects and guide PhD students where appropriate.
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods.
• Undertake management/administration arising from research.
• Engage in enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities.
• Collect research data through experiments, literature reviews or interviews.
• Present research outputs for publications or posters.
• Provide guidance to support staff and any students assisting with the research.

Skills

Biomedical engineering

Spinal biomechanics

Experimental research

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

Mechanical testing equipment

Job description

Job Description

Position Details

School of Engineering

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to February 2028

Closing date: 1st November 2026

Background

OncoEng is a UKRI EPSRC funded flagship programme grant concerned with research into interventions for metastatic bone disease in the spine.It comprises a collaboration between the University of Birmingham (Lead organisation), Imperial College London, University of Leeds University College London. With this consortium the role aims to develop and implement new techniques to assess long term fatigue and fracture mechanisms within metastatic infiltrated spinal vertebrae and how these fractures may be prevented using novel minimally invasive implants. As part of this role, you will take a lead in the development and utilisation of

• novel hardware/software/protocols for surgical instrumentation to enable successful implantation of the minimally invasive implant.
• new hardware to simulate long-term fatigue and fracture of multiple spinal unit test setups,
• In-situ assessment of different loading scenarios to assess the deformation and fracture within the VB.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Contribute to generating funding
• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• A strong background/interest in spinal/bone biomechanics, materials characterisation and testing of biological tissues
• Proven skills in mechanical engineering design
• A demonstrable aptitude for experimental research with a strong understanding of the underpinning engineering science
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Richard Hall, email: [e-mail]

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .