Research Associate (Highly Selective Membrane Manufacturing for Resource Recovery)

About the role:

This 18 months position is supported by the University of Bath as part of the EPSRC-funded Programme Grant ‘SynHiSel’, a major effort linking membrane researchers at Bath, Manchester, Newcastle, Imperial College, Queen Mary and Edinburgh Universities: www.synhisel.com 

Chemical separations are critical to almost every aspect of our daily lives, from the energy we use to the medications we take. Separations consume 10-15% of the total energy used in the world, with novel membranes having the potential to make these separations 10x more energy efficient and save millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. However, commercial membranes do not possess the necessary selectivity to deliver these savings, and novel membrane materials are often non scalable nor sustainable. 

In this 18-month post-doctoral position you will work on the development of membranes for resource recovery, particularly critical minerals and metals from liquid waste sources. You will have a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Material Science or a closely related field and a track-record in membrane fabrication, characterisation and testing. Experience in electrochemical membrane process is highly desirable. 

You will join a multidisciplinary group with expertise in materials, chemistry and process engineering, working with Prof.s John Chew and Davide Mattia, in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath, UK: https://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/membranes-research-expertise/ 

For informal enquiries about this position please contact Prof Davide Mattia (d.mattia@bath.ac.uk), Prof John Chew, (Y.M.Chew@bath.ac.uk)

What we can offer you:

We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:

• Free counselling services through Health Assured
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
• Staff discount on language courses
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning and more
• Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• Local discounts and more
• A family-friendly workplace 
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance
• Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, & community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We're very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff. 

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us on LinkedIn for more information. 

Closing date: Sunday 31 August 2025

Interview date: To be confirmed

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