Research Associate in Biochemical Engineering

Are you interested in working for a world top 100 University? We have an exciting opportunity in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield, for someone with a passion for fermentation, looking to use their skills in scaling up the production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates, a family of sustainable, biodegradable and biocompatible bacteria derived polymers, to make an impact on the sustainable materials world, especially for use in biomedical applications.

You will join the dynamic and internationally renowned group led by Professor Ipsita Roy (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/cmbe/people/cbe-academic-staff/ipsita-roy), specialist in the area of Natural Polymers of bacterial origin, within the Biomaterials research group in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering. Professor Roy’s group is world leading in the area of Biomaterials with special focus on Biomaterials of bacterial origin including Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), Bacterial Cellulose, Polyglutamic acid and Alginate; and their biomedical applications. Her group has pioneered the production of PHAs using Gram positive bacteria, hence producing PHAs that lack lipopolysaccharides and are non-immunogenic in nature, highly desirable for biomedical applications. These polymers are also biodegradable in the soil and marine conditions and can be used for sustainable environmentally friendly applications.

The ideal candidate will at least have a PhD degree in Biochemical Engineering or a related area, with special focus on the scaling up of bacterial fermentations for the optimal production of products. It will be an added advantage if you have experience in Polyhydroxyalkanoate production via bacterial fermentation. You will be an enthusiastic, hardworking, organised, and dedicated scientist with the ability to efficiently plan and implement your work with high quality. You will be expected to have leadership qualities with the ability to enthuse and motivate members of Professor Roy’s group to achieve to the best of their ability. You will also be expected to write high quality scientific manuscripts describing the work done and to assist in grant proposal writing. You will need to be able to make high quality presentations at conferences to communicate the results achieved. Also, lab supervision of project students and PhD students and other teaching roles will be expected from you.

The School of Chemical Materials and Biological Engineering is one of the national leaders in the field. The School holds an Athena Swan Silver award for commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. The Department’s teaching is underpinned by world-leading research and facilitated by world-class facilities. Further details on each of the research areas can be accessed via the School web link: www.shef.ac.uk/materials.

We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a competitive salary, a generous Pension Scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development.

To find out what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work, watch this short film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LblLk18zmo, and follow @sheffielduni and @ShefUniJobs on Twitter for more information.

Apply now by clicking on the 'Apply' button.

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