Research Fellow in Water Treatment Sustainability (IEX Brine Reuse)

Fixed Term Contract for 24 Months

Full time starting salary £38,655 per annum

Location: Cranfield, Bedfordshire

The Cranfield Water Science Institute seeks motivated PhD-qualified engineering, chemistry or environmental science graduates to investigate innovative water treatment solutions that improve chemical circularity and sustainability in drinking water production.

About the Role

We are seeking a self-motivated Research Fellow to join a dynamic team addressing chemical circularity and sustainability challenges in drinking water treatment. The UK produces around 5 trillion litres of drinking water annually, yet current treatment processes rely on significant chemical use and energy-intensive operations that generate waste, emissions and environmental impacts.

Based at Cranfield University, this role forms part of Chemnovate – Circular and Low Carbon Chemical Solutions for Drinking Water, an OFWAT-funded project led by Anglian Water in partnership with Cranfield University, Essex and Suffolk Water, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water and Spring Innovation.

The successful candidate will investigate innovative approaches for recovering and reusing brine salts from ion exchange processes used in nitrate removal. Research will evaluate technologies such as biological denitrification and membrane-based treatment to remove nitrate and other contaminants from spent brine streams.

Using Cranfield’s drinking water laboratories, analytical facilities and the National Research Facility for Water and Wastewater Treatment, you will work with researchers, water companies and innovation partners to assess the feasibility of these technologies and support more sustainable drinking water production.

About You

You will hold, or be nearing completion of, a PhD in a relevant engineering or science discipline. Experience in water treatment research is essential, ideally including denitrification, membrane or other separation processes. You will have expertise in advanced analytical techniques, statistical analysis, experimental design and pilot-scale systems. Strong project management, stakeholder engagement and communication skills are required, alongside a record of high-quality publications. Knowledge of water chemistry and treatment is desirable, and equivalent industry experience will be considered.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply                                    

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Dr Irene Carra (E): irene.carra@cranfield.ac.uk

For further details please contact: peoplerecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk quoting 5376.

Closing date: 13 September 2026

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