Research Fellow

About us

The Chemistry Department at University College London is the oldest in England, and today is one of the best in the UK, being ranked 2nd in the UK for the world-class impact of its research in REF(2014). We are located in Bloomsbury, at the heart of London, and offer an exciting and vibrant environment in which to study in one of the UK's top universities.

About the role

We are recruiting for a postdoctoral candidate to lead the development of spectroscopic techniques for the study of intramolecular interactions in host-guest complexes. The complexes studied will include a series of metal-organic cages and organic complexes provided by synthetic collaborators and the main experimental techniques used will include both static and ultrafast optical and X-ray spectroscopies. The main goal of the project is to exploit specific types of intermolecular interaction to drive reaction outcomes. The project is part of an ESPRC funded grant with collaborators Drs John Lee and Cally Haynes at UCL and Dr Anna McConnell at the University of Siegen. The postholder will have the opportunity to work alongside and supervise a PhD student as part of the project as well as be an active member as part of the wider research collaboration and play a leading role in the development of the measurement techniques required for the project. Additionally, the postholder will be required to present results to different audiences and contribute significantly to the advancement of the overall interdisciplinary research project. The post is for up to 33 months in duration and the earliest start date would be October 2023 but there is some flexibility.

About you

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in spectroscopy and experience of either ultrafast optical techniques or X-ray spectroscopic methods with a PhD in Chemistry, Physics or a related discipline. Experience with data analysis is essential and any experience of programming will be highly advantageous. The postholder will be responsible for the planning, execution and analysis of experiments in the laboratory facilities at UCL as well as international synchrotron and X-ray free-electron lasers. There will be the opportunity for the postholder to develop their own beamtime proposals in line with the project goals. The post is a UCL grade 7 post, the salary for which ranges from £40,524 - £48,763 per annum (including London Allowance of £4,500 p.a.). Starting salary is usually £40,524. Please note, appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B (salary £36,832! - £38,46 6 per annum, including London Allowance of £4,500) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

To access a job description and person specification, please click 'Apply'. To apply, please ensure you include a CV, cover letter and list of publications.

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