Postdoctoral Research Fellow in High-Pressure Synthesis of Energetic Materials

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 12-month contract

The opportunity:

The School of Chemistry are seeking to recruit a postdoctoral scientist to work on a UK government-funded project that will develop new high-pressure routes for the preparation and recovery of polymeric CO – an energetic material with a high energy density. Recovered samples will be investigated using a range of analytical techniques, with a focus on quantifying energy output and sensitivity to initiation by external stimuli.     

The project will be jointly supervised by Prof. Colin Pulham in the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and Professor Craig Bull at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell. The successful candidate will be based predominantly at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility and will interact closely with Prof. Bull’s team of high-pressure research scientists. 

The successful candidate will hold a PhD in the area of high-pressure chemistry or physics, with extensive experience of the use of diamond-anvil cells and the collection and interpretation of spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction data under extreme conditions.  Prior experience of the use of larger-volume pressure cells is desirable.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• A PhD degree (or equivalent) in high-pressure chemistry, high-pressure physics, or a closely related discipline.
• PhD training (or equivalent) in the use of diamond-anvil cells.
• Experience of the experimental methods and associated analytical techniques to prepare and characterise materials under high-pressure conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct, publish and otherwise disseminate high-quality research, with excellent paper outputs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - prepared to represent the collaborative team interact effectively with colleagues.

The successful candidate will also have to satisfy the UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).

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