Senior Technician (Residual Stress Measurement Lab)

University of Strathclyde; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Strathclyde's AFRC in Inchinnan near Glasgow seeks a Laboratory Technician to support residual stress measurement equipment for academic and industrial projects. You will work on setup, operation, and maintenance of specialised machines used for metals forming research.

Educated to HNC level or equivalent, you will conduct experiments, report results with clarity, troubleshoot issues, and prioritise tasks to meet tight deadlines while collaborating with a broad team across

Qualifications

• HNC level or equivalent education, or relevant work experience in metallic materials.
• Experience in undertaking experimental activities and reporting/interpreting data.
• Desirable: experience with residual stress measurement methods (destructive or non-destructive).

Responsibilities

• Set up, operate and maintain existing residual stress equipment for research programmes.
• Support operation of AFRC/NMIS facilities for industrial and academic projects.
• Interpret data and report results to project deadlines.
• Work collaboratively within a multi‑disciplinary team.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Independent work

Teamwork

Data interpretation

Education

HNC level or equivalent

Tools

Residual stress equipment

XRD

Hole‑drilling

Job description

Senior Technician (Residual Stress Measurement Lab) - 819664

Salary range:£33,662 - £37,369 per annum

FTE: 1

Term: Open-ended

Closing Date: 23 October 2026

Location: AFRC, Inchinnan, Renfrew

The University of Strathclyde in Glasgow possesses a large internationally rated Engineering Faculty with a proud history of successful joint ventures with industrial and enterprise partners. As part of the University’s strategic development, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland has been established.

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) is a bold and ambitious industry-centred project to create an international centre of advanced manufacturing expertise and excellence where industry, academia and public-sector support agencies work together to transform skills, productivity, and innovation, making Scotland and the UK a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), encompassed within NMIS, situated at Inchinnan near Glasgow’s International Airport, is a world leading research facility for forging and forming technologies. The AFRC is seeking to appoint a Laboratory Technician to support the operation of specialised equipment within its Residual Stress Measurement Laboratory. Recently the Centre has invested over £1m in residual stress measurement equipment and is rapidly developing a team who specialise in this area. You will be primarily responsible for the set-up, operation and maintenance of the existing equipment used for delivering industrial and academic research programmes on residual stress and materials characterisations related to forging and forming of metallic materials and alloys.

To be considered for this role, you will be educated to a minimum of HNC level, or equivalent; or with relevant work experience, preferably with metallic materials and alloys, and you will have an interest in manufacturing processes in an area relevant to the AFRC. You will have knowledge and experience of undertaking experimental activities as well as reporting and interpreting data and results. You will have excellent troubleshooting skills, including a methodical approach to solving complex problems, with limited guidance. You will have an ability to work autonomously, prioritising and coordinating your own workload and making decisions with minimum supervision in order to meet project deadlines. You will have the ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Previous experiences of measuring residual stress with one of the destructive (e.g. hole-drilling) or non-destructive (e.g. XRD) techniques, or experience of materials characterisation, are highly desirable.

For informal enquiries, please contactIftakhar Alam,Engineering Technologist,[e-mail]

Department: National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)