Senior Research Associate in 4D Printing of Liquid-Crystal Elastomers

The role

The purpose of the role is to support the PI (Dr Rainer Groh) in the delivery of an ambitious research programme funded through a UK Research & Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship. By taking advantage of shear alignment in Direct Ink Writing, the role holder with tailor the spatial distribution of nematic directors in Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) in order to morph 2D printed geometries into target 3D shapes under various stimuli. An additional area of novelty will be to investigate how short carbon fibres can be used to reinforce LCEs and how the directionality of the reinforcing fibres interacts with the directionality of the nematic directors.

The role holder will be an experienced researcher and specialist in the areas of soft matter and 3D/4D printing. Apart from additive manufacturing and material characterisation, the role holder will also be comfortable with analytical/computational modelling to rationalise experiments. The role holder is expected to contribute their own ideas and/or enhancement of methodologies to guarantee the successful delivery of the larger research project. The outcomes of the research are to be communicated by the role holder in premier journals and conferences in the field of soft matter, smart materials and additive manufacturing.

In addition to the research, the role holder may, where practical, contribute to teaching, through co-supervision of PhD students and teaching support of the PI’s final-year unit Mechanics of Lightweight and Composite Structures. In addition to academic and pastoral support within the School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering, training in effective communication, leadership and entrepreneurship will be available through a bespoke training programme of the PI’s Future Leadership Fellowship, in order to prepare the role holder to take on more responsibilities in the future.

The role holder will:

• Establish a 3D/4D printing laboratory based on a DIW printer
• Print LCEs with spatially tailored nematic directors with the printed structures having the ability to morph between a flat as-printed geometry and a target 3D shape
• Devise new ways of reinforcing LCEs with recycled carbon fibres to enhance mechanical properties and demonstrate new morphing capabilities
• Characterise and test the printed structures at the University of Bristol and project partners
• Implement or use computational software that predicts, rationalises and designs targeted distributions of nematic directors/fibre orientations to produce a target 3D shape

You should apply if

• You are excited by working at the interface of morphing soft matter, computational design and automated manufacturing
• You have a strong background in soft matter mechanics
• You have experience in 3D/4D printing of soft matter materials and particularly liquid crystal elastomers
• You are excited by starting a new capability in a world-leading research lab
• You have a desire to explore real-world impact of your research

Additional information

For informal queries please contact: Dr Rainer Groh (rainer.groh@bristol.ac.uk)

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