Postgraduate Research Associate

The Role What you’ll do Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills required Benefits Employment Visa

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated and enthusiastic Post-Graduate Research Associate on a new project ‘Expansion of cultivated meat research at Aberystwyth University: encompassing texture and accelerating research for economic benefit in Wales’ funded by the Welsh Government. The project seeks to explore the expansion of current cultivated meat research at Aberystwyth through the use of edible scaffolds, 3D bioprinting and AI-Machine Learning (AI-ML) driven methods to create high-throughput research pipelines.

To make an informal enquiry, please contact Dr Ruth Wonfor at

Successful applicants may be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check(DBS) check.

Appointments are normally made within 4 - 8 weeks of the closing date.

The role will largely be desk based to complete a review of the current literature and industry needs to identify gaps in current knowledge, leading to the production of an Innovation plan and target areas for follow on funding or commercialisation. This part time post will focus on the AI-ML aspects of the project.

The PGRA post will be based in the Department of Life Sciences in Dr Ruth Wonfor’s research group, but will also require collaboration with Prof Tossapon Boongoen in the Department of Computer Science. The project includes collaboration with a Welsh based biotech company, Copner Biotech, who the post-holder will be expected to develop a good working relationship with. There will also be opportunities to connect with other companies in the cultivated meat space to network with experts in the field whilst gaining an overview of current industry needs.

The project will be completed over 5 months and this post will work alongside another part-time post that will focus on cell culture/scaffolds. The two PGRAs will be expected to work closely together to complete the Innovation Plan.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Complete a literature review of the academic and wider industry literature around AI-ML for cultivated meat
• Support development of a professional network with industry collaborators and academic experts to foster future collaborations.
• Partake in site visits to external companies or academic institutes to assess technologies used and discuss data requirements.

Other duties and responsibilities:

• To support the university strategy and underlining plans, engage in continuous personal and professional development in line with the demands of the role, including undertaking relevant training and development activities to develop yourself and support the development of others.
• Fulfil health and safety responsibilities appropriate to the role, while actively promoting the personal health, safety, and wellbeing of staff and students as a member of the Aberystwyth community. Additionally, support the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability through responsible practices and engagement.
• Promote equality of opportunity, and to support and uphold the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of your work.
• Undertake other duties as assigned by your line manager, commensurate with the role's grade.

This job description is subject to review and amendment in the light of the changing needs of the University, to provide appropriate development opportunities and/or the addition of any other reasonable duties.

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