Research Associate - Testing The Feasibility of Using a Floating Mechanical Metamaterial to Attenuate Propagating Water Waves

Job reference: SAE-028662

Salary: £37,174 - £45,413 per annum depending on experience

Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering

Location: Oxford Road

Employment type: Fixed Term

Division/Team: Department of Physics & Astronomy

Hours per week: Full time (1 FTE)

Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 21/05/2025

Contract duration: Fixed term for 9 months

School/Directorate: School of Natural Sciences

Applications are invited for the position of are invited for a Research Associate position within the Physics of Fluids and Soft Matter group in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester. You will join a vibrant team of researchers at the forefront of research on fluid-structure interactions.

We are seeking to appoint someone with research experience either in wave dynamics and/or the mechanics of flexible structures. The post, under the supervision of Dr Finn Box, must commence before 1st July 2025 and will focus on investigating floating metamaterials and their fluid-structure interactions with surface waves. You are required to hold, or about to obtain, a PhD (or equivalent) in physics, engineering, or applied mathematics. The successful applicant is expected to have experience investigating mechanical metamaterials and/or wave dynamics by performing experiments. Although we welcome applications from both experimentalist and modellers with a proven capacity to collaborate effectively within a diverse team. You should be well-organised and self-motivated with excellent communication skills. A strong publication record in internationally peer-reviewed journals is advantageous.

The purpose of the role is to perform experiments to test the feasibility of using a floating mechanical metamaterial to attenuate propagating water waves. This will involve imaging the dynamic reconfiguration of a metamaterial structure due to incoming waves and measuring the resultant attenuation of passing waves. The appointed PDRA will (i) design and fabricate the metamaterial platform arrays, (ii) set up data acquisition systems including wave gauges, motion capture and image acquisition systems, (iii) acquire experimental data in a wave flume, (iv) perform numerical simulations to evaluate the response of the metamaterial to wave loading, (v) process data, interpret results and disseminate findings.

Along with your application, you should submit a single file containing your CV, list of publications, and research statement (max 2 pages).

We support applications from those returning from a career break and are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements.

For further information, please visit http://www.physics.manchester.ac.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity/

Our University is positive about flexible working – you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any recruitment enquiries from recruitment agencies should be directed to People.Recruitment@manchester.ac.uk.

Any CVs submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Finn Box

Email: finn.box@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: People.recruitment@manchester.ac.uk

Technical support:

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

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