Research Assistant/Associate in CO2 Mineralisation

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £44,263 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 09 May 2024

The Role

We are looking to recruit an outstanding individual for a Research Assistant/Associate in C02 Mineralisation to join our team based in the Chemical Engineering group in the School of Engineering.

The position is funded through an Industry funded project and will be supervised by Professor Lidija Siller at Newcastle University, involving collaborations with colleagues in Norway. The project spans the interface between chemistry and chemical engineering and will make significant contributions to both areas. The goal is to find rapid way to extract calcium or magnesium from waste materials such as (kiln dust, blast furnace slag, concrete). The research will provide both extraction and continuous mineralisation of CO2 in the reactor with catalysts. This work will build on the research team who were the first to discover continuous mineralisation accelerated with presence of inorganic catalysts. 

You will play a key role in performing the laboratory experiments, processing, and analysing data, and working as part of the wider team involved in the investigation. 

We are keen to hear from candidates who have an interest in CO2 capture and mineralisation and who are willing to travel to disseminate findings.

The role is full time (37 hours) and fixed term until 31st October 2024.

Please apply with CV and covering letter outlining both your experience to date and outlining how you meet the criteria as set out in the person specification of the job description.

For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Lidija Siller, Professor of Nanoscale Science at  lidija.siller@newcastle.ac.uk

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.
 

Key Accountabilities

•    Conduct experimental research in the field of mineralisation

•    Conduct experimental research in the field of calcium extraction
•    Manage research work and the efficient use of resources
•    Manage various research activities simultaneously
•    Ensure project plans are completed and reviewed
•    Provide regular research project performance update reports to the project team

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Experience in chemistry and/or reactor chemical engineering

•    Knowledge in collection of data and data interpretation
•    Ability to work in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team
•    Experience of, or exposure to article publications in high profile journals
•    Understanding of experimental chemical engineering or chemistry of mineralisation
•    Good understanding of carbon capture
•    Very good communication and written skills

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Good inter-personal skills and the ability to liaise with the research team involved
•    Experience of, or exposure to presenting and explaining research outputs in different ways
•    Committed to embedding the values of equality and diversity in all aspects of the work

Qualifications

•    PhD (for Associate level) or close to completion (for Assistant level) in chemical engineering or chemistry (or a closely related discipline area)
•    Honours degree (2.1 or higher) in chemical engineering, physics, chemistry, or another relevant discipline
 

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26977