Research Fellow in Sustainable Depolymerisation - School of Chemistry Grade 7

Position Details

School of Chemistry

Location:

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to March 2029

Closing date: 6th January 2026

UK and International travel may be required for this role

Interviews are likely to be held between 15th and 23rd January 2026

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge on the European Commission-funded research project entitled ‘Circular Light-Based 3D Printable Lipoate-based Polymers’.

We are looking for a Research Fellow to work on advancing the state-of-the-art in the design of fully circular 3D printing resins. In particular, this project will focus on enhancing the depolymerisation process, as well as advancing our resin design to enable more facile circularisation. The project will be hosted in the group of Prof. Andrew Dove in the School of Chemistry and is part of an ERC advanced grant project.

You will have appropriate research experience to undertake this project, alongside a proven ability to conduct and publish research in polymer science.

The Research Fellow is expected to contribute to a wide range of research activities, under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI), Professor Andrew Dove, responding to academic needs and timelines as required.

The School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham is a vibrant and thriving academic community, with over 100 academic and research staff, 20 professional services staff and over 600 students. We provide an inclusive and supportive environment where we strive to support every member of staff in realising their career potential. With a strong focus on our four Research Themes of Energy, Sustainability, Environment and Health, and a number of interdisciplinary Interest Groups serving as testbeds to explore new and emerging areas of interest, we are a dynamic place to work.

We have ambitious plans to expand our research activity and are in an exciting period of growth: major investment from the University will deliver a state‑of‑the‑art research building (opening in 2023/24), and new multi‑million pound high‑performance computing facilities, which will ensure UK‑leading compute capability.

The University is a family‑friendly employer and the School of Chemistry welcomes flexible working to suit family or other commitments. The University has on‑campus childcare facilities. The School of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award in recognition of its work in promoting women’s careers in STEM subjects in higher education.

• To undertake research into the design of resins for circular 3D printing, including depolymerisation of printed materials under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Dove.
• To produce regular reports pertaining to the project as requested; attend regular project meetings; give regular presentations to the group; write papers for publication in peer reviewed scientific journals.
• To work as part of a team and play an active role in the Dove research group, participating in all group meetings and activities. You may help to supervise research students, be responsible for installation and maintenance of equipment and training of personnel on equipment.
• Participate in the collaborative meetings and work with the project collaborators.

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Perform research and collect data in the specified area to a high level of competency and quality
• Maintain a high level of knowledge of the immediate and surrounding literature
• Contribute to developing new ideas, directions, techniques and methods in order to advance the project and enhance its quality
• Analyse and interpret data generated from all aspects of the project
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Contribute to writing scientific papers and bids for research funding
• Disseminate research findings by presentation in a range of fora from group meetings to research seminars and conferences etc
• Provide guidance and supervision to support…