Senior Research Associate, Marine Autonomous Glider Lead

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking a Senior Research Associate to lead on the ECHO glider project, contributing to mechanical, electrical and hydraulic design, analysis and testing. The role is full‑time and on‑site, based at the Newcastle Marine Autonomous Vehicle Lab, with travel for field trials and partner meetings.

You will oversee development of autonomous underwater vehicles, drive experiments, and prepare reports and papers for high‑impact journals.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience designing, fabricating and testing hardware for marine autonomous vehicles.
• Experience taking autonomous underwater vehicles or gliders through design to field trials.
• Proficiency in mechanical design using CAD tools and Python for vehicle control.

Responsibilities

• Lead on the delivery of research projects and supervise junior researchers.
• Carry out design, fabrication, assembly, testing and reporting of autonomous marine vehicles.
• Collaborate with project partners, prepare reports and publish findings.
• Ensure health and safety and contribute to lab maintenance and project budgeting.

Skills

Mechanical design

SolidWorks

Embedded electronics

Python

Project leadership

Research publications

Education

PhD in mechanical engineering / ocean engineering / robotics

Tools

SolidWorks

CAD software

Testing equipment

Job description

Newcastle University is seeking a Senior Research Associate to lead on the ECHO glider project, contributing to mechanical, electrical and hydraulic design, analysis and testing. The role is full‑time and on‑site, based at the Newcastle Marine Autonomous Vehicle Lab, with travel for field trials and partner meetings.

You will oversee development of autonomous underwater vehicles, drive experiments, and prepare reports and papers for high‑impact journals.