Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, Circular Supply Chain Configuration (1FTE, FTC)

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world ‘s number 1 art & design university for a remarkable eight consecutive years (QS World Subject Rankings 2015-2022).

Materials Science Research Centre

Research in the Materials Science Research Centre (MSRC) focuses on the invention and the experience of materials to address real world challenges, specifically environmental sustainability, and human health and wellbeing. Established in 2017, the Centre is part of the RCA’s ambition to increase interdisciplinary research, particularly bringing science subjects together with Art & Design (STEAM) to tackle global challenges. As the MSRC has evolved, it has developed partnerships with a wide range of academic and industry partners in the UK and internationally. 

UKRI Interdisciplinary Textiles Circularity Centre

The MSRC, in partnership with an interdisciplinary consortium of UK academic institutions, won a large four-year UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Programme award to drive its mission of sustainability in textiles. The Textiles Circularity Centre (TCC) (EP/V011766/1) is aiming to realise a future circular textiles economy for the UK SME apparel-fashion industry based on bio waste - that is shaped by people’s participation in materials circularity, consumer experience and supply chain - to create a coupling between the bio waste resource flow and wellbeing. Circularising resource flows of textiles will stimulate innovation in the UK textile manufacturing and SME apparel, and creative technology sectors, whilst reducing reliance on imported and environmentally and ethically impactful materials, and diversifying supply chains. The Interdisciplinary Textiles Circularity Centre has three interconnected Research Strands – Materials Circularity, Consumer Experience, and Circular Supply Chain.

The TCC aims to design and develop manufacturing tools for the fabrication of regenerative textiles that enable designers to creatively differentiate themselves at small scale, and to design consumer experiences and related tools at the point of consumption – both of which enable brands and consumers to extend the lifecycle of apparel. The task of supply chain configurations is to connect these strategies.

We are seeking to appoint a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher to the Circular Supply Chain Research Strand. This research strand seeks to establish narrow, slow and closed resource flows through better tools for Circular Supply Chains. Led by the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing and the RCA, and working closely with the TCC consortium, it will study which novel supply chain configurations and technologies needed for bio-based textiles circular supply chains. The postholder will work with the TCC consortium to understand the requisite flows (value, information, materials) for the TCC circular textiles model, and identify business models, strategies and mechanisms that enable these flows. The postholder will work closely with the Systems Design Postdoctoral Researcher to help TCC accelerate understanding and solutions to enable circularity of biowaste resource flows for textiles.

Please see the Information Pack for further details.

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