Research Associate in Design of Novel Plastic Recycling Systems

Location: South Kensington Campus

Job Summary

The Department of Chemical Engineering is seeking a Research Associate to join a project funded by the UKRI “Research for a plastics circular economy” call (EP/Y007824/1) to carry out research programmes in the development of hybrid (bio)chemical/mechanical recycling systems for multi-layer plastic packaging.

Typically made from plastic, paper and aluminium bonded together, multilayer packaging delivers excellent product protection and preservation. Lack of suitable recycling technology, however, means its benefits come at a big environmental price. In collaboration with academic and industrial partners, the post will analyse the integration of ionic liquids with mechanical and biochemical processing to recycle MLP.

You will focus on assessing the feasibility and advantages of the combined recycling approach, benchmarked using energy and mass separating agents (MSA) input per unit of service (e.g. per tonne of useful recovered material) as key performance indicators. The energy and material balances will feed into a preliminary life cycle assessment performed using SimaPro software. The novel technical approaches will be integrated with sustainability assessments to ensure economic viability, validate environmental benefits at an early stage and assess potential routes to implementation.

You will execute world-leading, academic research with a high degree of independence and enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration with other researchers and industrial partners. The Research Associate will undertake project management, supervise small teams and submit high-quality publications to refereed journals.

Duties and responsibilities

You will carry out a detailed process systems analysis of a novel hybrid biochemical/chemical/mechanical recycling approach in several permutations. This will include developing process and systems models and performing life cycle and technoeconomic analysis based on new experimental data provided by project partners and placed in context against literature benchmarks.  

You will plan the research in collaboration with Prof Nilay Shah and Prof Jason Hallett, identifying suitable modelling approaches and software packages and assemble data from project partners. You will collaborate with academic and industrial research partners.

Essential requirements

• A PhD degree (or equivalent) in Chemical Engineering or a related discipline
• Experience in process systems analysis
• Experience in life cycle assessment
• Experience with software packages used in process systems and life cycle assessment
• Ability to deliver technical reports/presentations to a range of audiences

Further Information

You can start immediately and the contract will run for 24 months in the first instance, with the possibility of extension subject to research funding. The post is based in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London (South Kensington Campus).

Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Professor Jason Hallett (j.hallett@imperial.ac.uk) or Professor Nilay Shah (n.shah@imperial.ac.uk)

To apply, please click on the 'Apply' button above or visit our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/. Candidates will need to complete an online application.

Further information about the post is available in the job description.

Should you have any queries about the application process please contact chemeng.staffing@imperial.ac.uk.

Closing date: Midnight on Tuesday 31^st October 2023

Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment. We are an Athena SWAN Silver award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and work in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

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