College of Science & Engineering

Heterogeneous Catalysis (School of Chemistry)

The Catalysis group studies chemical reactions to learn more about the world around us, with the ultimate aim of addressing some of the largest challenges facing society. We are now seeking to appoint an outstanding research fellow in Heterogeneous Catalysis to join this group. We currently have specific strength in applied catalysis, as evidenced by significant industrial support for projects involving a diverse range of chemical transformations. Topics of particular interest for this fellowship include biomass up-grading, reactor engineering, diffusion of reagents/products within hierarchical structures, adsorption science, chemical looping, technical chemistry, oxidation catalysis, the application of synchrotron based techniques applied to heterogeneous catalysis, theory applied to adsorption and catalytic turnover, and environmental catalysis.

School of Chemistry research

Primary contact: Professor David Lennon

Cybersecurity (School of Computing Science)

Our current focus is the interface between safety and security, working on, for example, cybersecurity for safety-critical facilities and operations. Existing cybersecurity research covers network security, human-centred security, privacy, and safety-critical systems. We are looking for an outstanding researcher with expertise in cybersecurity to reinforce these strengths and support industrial collaborations. Topics of particular interest for the fellowship include cryptography, security for the internet of things (including industrial internet of things), and blockchain technology; however, excellent candidates in any area of cybersecurity will be considered.

School of Computing Science research

Primary contact: Professor Chris Johnson

Engineering Challenges in Energy and Environment (School of Engineering) 

The climate, energy and water crises that have rapidly come into focus in the last two-decades are shaping many of the engineering challenges for the 21st Century. We are seeking applications from outstanding candidates that can support the development of solutions to many of these challenges, delivering new technology, providing new insights and engineering inspired solutions towards a decarbonised energy future and improved environment. Examples could include (but not limited to): technologies to improve the energy efficiency of power plants; novel energy conversion practices; new methods for delivering clean water; improved efficiency in electronics and photonics; remediation of contaminated ground; renewable energy. Research that is synergistic to existing specialisation, resources (eg. JWNC), and expertise in the School of Engineering are particularly welcome, as are projects with strong interdisciplinary links across the University.

School of Engineering research

Principal contact: Professor Richard Hogg

Engineering Challenges in Healthcare (School of Engineering)

Healthcare related research is a major focus of the School of Engineering. Examples of our research includes rehabilitation systems, regenerative medicine, surgical devices and medical diagnostics. We are now seeking applications from outstanding candidates that can support this research, delivering new technology, providing new insights and engineering inspired solutions for biological and medical applications. Examples could include (but not limited to): enhancing future therapies (low cost, low risk, improved efficacy and precision); reducing drug development or manufacturing costs; devices, prostheses, processes to restore normal function; precise, minimally invasive physical interventions to repair damage or remove disease; optimising treatments in terms of timeliness through new diagnostic devices, non-invasive sensing and data analysis. Research that is synergistic to existing specialisation, resources (eg. JWNC), and expertise in the School of Engineering are particularly welcome, as are projects with strong interdisciplinary links across the University.

School of Engineering research

Principal contact: Professor Richard Hogg

Stressed Environments and Communities (School of Geographical & Earth Sciences)

We examine how environments and communities become ‘stressed’, across differing timescales, and with multiple planetary, ecological, geopolitical and emotional consequences. We undertake collaborative and interdisciplinary studies of compromised landscapes (coastal, fluvial and built), contaminated environments (terrestrial and maritime), and the life-worlds of affected communities. We seek to understand how everyday lives and ordinary expectations are being significantly impacted by Anthropocene-associated extreme weather events, disrupted seasonality and climate variability, and how new environmental and biomedical pressures experienced worldwide produce unexpected multispecies entanglements and conditions for life-threatening trans-species infections. We are concerned not only with contemporary threats posed to infrastructures and architectures, health and well-being, land and life, but with how a shared burden of responsibility can produce scientifically-informed strategies for environmental mitigation and adaptation, and socio-spatial conditions for coping, caring and campaigning. Our research offers effective means to lobby for greater equity in access to resources, and to foster creative environmental partnerships, realised locally and globally, thereby achieving meaningful impact.

We are seeking an outstanding researcher to advance this research field. We welcome applications from researchers who examine how anticipations of future stresses feed into modes of environmental intervention and governance, variously prioritising insecurity and risk-calculation, resilience and renewal, sustainability and remediation, therapy and well-being.

School of Geographical & Earth Sciences research

Primary contact: Professor Hayden Lorimer

Mathematical & Statistical Ecology: Monitoring, Modelling and Mitigation in a Changing World (School of Mathematics & Statistics)

Our environmental statistics research focusses on the development and application of statistical methodology to environmental issues; these can be based in the natural environment (both undisturbed and perturbed) or the urban environment. We are particularly interested in understanding the interactions and processes that form ecosystems during a period of rapid global change, e.g. to understand how species will respond to climate change, or to predict the potential impact of increasing urbanisation. We are seeking an outstanding Research Fellow to support this endeavour, with a particular focus on data analytics, to integrate large-scale heterogeneous data for model based computational inference, and mitigation, i.e. the prediction of appropriate measures that are needed for system stabilisation.

School of Mathematics & Statistics research

Primary contact: Professor Marian Scott

Advanced Materials for Physics and Cross Disciplinary Science (School of Physics & Astronomy)

The Materials and Condensed Matter Physics group has special expertise and capabilities in aberration corrected high resolution transmission electron microscopy, including advanced ion beam lithography, and PLD oxide/metal thin film deposition, with a suite of instruments valued at £4.2M.  A dynamic and creative individual is sought to create a new cross disciplinary effort in the area of materials physics, particularly supporting the group’s ambition to broaden its activities associated with advanced and functional materials, especially along lines of bioinspired structure and high resolution imaging of low contrast soft matter.

School of Physics & Astronomy research

Primary contact: Professor David Ireland

Dissecting the Carbon Cycle (Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre)

We are dissecting the Carbon Cycle to understand the source, fate and age of carbon is the key to reconstructing past environments, elucidating present biogeochemical cycles, and predicting future climatic change. We have developed novel methods for sampling and analysis of bulk and compound-specific radiocarbon with the aim of providing hitherto unavailable temporal controls on environmental processes. Our activities are supported by a wide array of radiogenic, stable and noble gas isotope tracers. Our ambition is to push the current boundaries of understanding by integrating novel analytical capabilities to quantify key processes and uncertainties in global carbon dynamics and are seeking a Research Fellow to support this endeavour.

SUERC

Principal contact: Professor Fin Stuart