Research Fellow in Sustainable Bio-Solvents

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Working time: 37.5 hours per week

Contract type: Fixed term (18 months - to complete specific time limited work)

Do you have a strong interest in Developing Processes? Do you have experience in Sustainability and Bio-Solvents? Are you keen to develop your career in Green Chemistry?   

Achieving an economic, sustainable and net zero ambition for biogenically derived chemicals is a massive industry-wide challenge. Most solvents are petrochemically derived, and present one of the main wastes in pharma and fine chemical manufacture. The use of bio-derived feedstocks is attractive for making replacement bio-solvents for reasons of low-carbon footprint, however their source and production methods often entrain water and new impurities that are problematic for use in pharma. Current work has shown a bio-source can be used to generate crude bio-acetone and bio-acetonitrile but both require purification before being suitable replacement solvents. The former is used widely for plant cleaning whilst the latter is used in substantial quantity for making oligonucleotide medicines. Post-application recycle and re-use of both solvents will also be investigated.  

In this project, you will develop sustainable and cost-effective methods for purifying the bio-solvents, testing low energy membrane drying technologies, assessing the purity of the solvents, investigating how used acetone or acetonitrile can be recycled and optimising protocols to help improve our understanding of the best design, economics and sustainable deployment. This will involve lab-based testing of pervaporation membranes in continuous flow and further purification of the solvent, integrating novel manufacturing methods into an intensified process flowsheet and collaborating on the development of life cycle sustainability assessments through multiple decision criteria.

This project is funded in part by Innovate UK under the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing – Grand Challenge: Industrialising UK Bio-based Solvents for Global Medicine Manufacturing. The University of Leeds are a partner in this project in collaboration with 10 other organisations.

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

What we offer in return

• 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
• Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Professor John Blacker, Professor

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 8239

Email: J.Blacker@leeds.ac.uk

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information, please visit the Government’s Skilled Worker visa page.

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information, please visit the Government’s page, Apply for the Global Talent visa.

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