Senior Research Fellow - School of Engineering - 106606 - Grade 9

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious UK university seeks a Senior Researcher in the School of Engineering to lead innovative research in robotics and AI. Responsibilities include managing research activities, securing funding, and contributing to university leadership. The role offers a competitive salary between £58,225 and £67,468, with possibilities for progression. This fixed-term contract runs until May 2028 and is focused on developing a new manufacturing ecosystem that emphasizes sustainability and innovation.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Established national and developing international reputation in research.
• Demonstrated excellence in both research and management administration.
• Evidence of successful supervision of doctoral students.

Responsibilities

• Lead successful funding bids for research support.
• Pursue sustained research activity with significant contributions.
• Manage and administer research activities and staff effectively.

Skills

Research management

Leadership

Knowledge transfer

Public engagement

Robotics expertise

AI knowledge

Education

PhD or equivalent in a relevant field

Job description

Position Details

School of Engineering

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £58,225 to £67,468 with potential progression once in post to £87,974

As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 9, salary £58,225.

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to May 2028

Closing date: 1st January 2026

Background

To create and disseminate knowledge through initiating, leading and conducting original research and through publication as appropriate to the disciplinary area. Specifically, the post will support the new EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Robotics, Automation & Smart Machine Enabled Sustainable Circular Manufacturing & Materials (RESCu-M2) led by the University of Birmingham with partners from Loughborough, Sheffield, Strathclyde, Brighton, and Leeds Universities plus the Manufacturing Technology Centre. The vision of this hub is to pursue an integrated, holistic approach toward creating a new manufacturing ecosystem for circular resource use of high value products through advances in robotics, AI and intelligent automation, empowering the UK to be a world leader in circular manufacturing.

Role Summary

Contributing at a senior level on a sustained basis to the whole range of research and administration.

Research is likely to involve an established national and developing international reputation through significant original research work and a clear record of impact, and/or designing and developing innovative underpinning technologies.

Management and administration is likely to include Departmental/School leadership and management activity with University-wide involvement, and may include sustained high value impact knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement, and similar activities that are of manifest benefit the College and University.

Main Duties

Research

Pursue sustained research activity through original research and scholarship, including other research-related contributions through conference papers and presentations and/or consultancy projects and advice. Where appropriate for the discipline this may include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below.

• Make a major contribution to the management of research activities
• Lead successful funding bids which develop and sustain research support for the specialist area (in disciplines where this is possible
• Publish leading research that results in a sustained, highly respected reputation of international quality in the subject area and/or designing and developing innovative underpinning technologies
• Provide expert advice internally and externally
• Provide leadership of research that contributes to the progression of the discipline (in disciplines where this is possible)
• Referee and peer review articles for peer reviewed academic journals and grant applications by research councils and/or other major funding bodies
• Project manage research activities, and/or supervising other research staff
• Develop novel methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued
• Supervise and examine PhD students, both within the institution and externally

Lead sustained high value impact activity in knowledge transfer and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) that is of manifest benefit to the College and University and: (a) makes a significant contribution to policy development at national and international level; and/or (b) involves development of industrial links and comparable networks and initiatives

In addition, research responsibilities will include some but not all the indicative responsibilities from grade 8 listed below.

Duties specific to the RESCu-M2 Hub will include:

• Working within the RESCu-M2 research grant to achieve the project deliverables, specifically in the creation of systems and approaches for Collaborative Dis(Re)assembly, Hybrid Re-manufacturing and Autonomous Material Separation and Recovery.
• Work with other researchers and project partners to deliver the overall project objectives.
• Provide specialist expertise in the area of robotics, automation, AI and intelligent automation.
• Publish the outputs of the research work in relevant high impact academic journals and in relevant trade publications.
• Assist with and lead dissemination of the research outputs both to academia and industry.

Management/administration

Chair and/or lead activities in the Department/School and representation on University committees or working groups. Where appropriate to the discipline, this may include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below.

• Contribute significantly to the development and running of the Department or School, for example, leading activity on research
• Develop and manage staff and resources in support of major research activities
• Make significant contributions to the development of the Department/ School’s research strategy
• Contribute significantly to the development and delivery of knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagementand public engagement activities with a sustained high value impact of manifest benefit to the College and the University
• Develops and implements a culture (including policies and procedures) that promotes Equality and values diversity and inclusion.

In addition, management/administration responsibilities will include some but not necessarily all the indicative responsibilities from grade 8 listed below.

• Contribute to the administration/management of research across the Department/School
• Lead/project manage a team to devise and implement a new and/or revised process (e.g. new programme or a recruitment drive)
• Advise on personal development
• Contribute to administrative activities within the University (e.g. appeals panels, working groups).
• Develop and manage staff and resources in support of major research activities

Person Specification

Demonstrated excellence at the level of accomplishment expected to meet the promotion criteria for Senior Lecturer in both Research, and Management and Administration, as outlined below. In addition, : (i) a higher volumeof excellent outputs/inputs in Research, and in research-related Management and Administration than would be expected for a Senior Lecturer in a similar field; and/or (ii) an exceptional quality of outputs in Research and in research-related Management and Administration.

Research requirements

An excellent national reputation and a developing international profile through original research work and a clear record of impact. Evidence of success under the following headings, as appropriate to the discipline:

• High level peer esteem as evidenced by
  • Excellent reputation in the UK and often internationally, reflected in sustained high quality output, level of innovation, impact on subject and recognition.
  • An excellent and sustained record of peer reviewed research publications.
• Successful and sustained supervision of doctoral students to completion.
• Substantial and sustained research income generation, e.g. through research grants, contracts, research consultancy or other external funding.
• Sustained high value impact knowledge transfer and enterprise that is of manifest benefit to the College and University.

Management and administration-related requirements

Demonstrated significant achievement in management and administration-related activities, which may include leadership of activities/initiatives. Evidence of success under the following headings.

• Successful and sustained performance in significant administrative/managerial role (s) (e.g. exams officer).
• Significant and sustained high quality innovative contributions to the management/administration of the Department/School/College or University.
• Successful and sustained contribution to the corporate life of the School/College/University, displaying willingness to contribute actively to committees, collaborative teaching and administrative tasks.
• Actively promotes equality and diversity to internal and external stakeholders.
• Able to use data to identify equality and diversity issues.
• Experience of developing interventions to address equality and diversity issues.

The skills and experience listed above will be additional the skills and experience required at grade 8 including higher degree relevant to research area (normally PhD) or equivalent qualifications.

Informal enquiries to Prof. Samia Nefti-Meziani, 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.