Research Fellow; Battery Materials and Interfaces; College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Grade 7

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

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 2027

Closing date: 15th October 2026

The post holder will work within the Energy Materials Group (EMG) under the line management of Dr Dominic Spencer-Jolly on the EPSRC-funded project, FLOWCAT (Flow synthesis of lithium-rich cathodes).

The post holder will continue ongoing work on the development of a continuous flow process for cathode precursor synthesis. They will: (1) synthesise and characterise cathode precursors prepared by continuous flow co-precipitation; (2) synthesise and characterise final cathode materials; (3) prepare and electrochemically test battery cells using cathodes made by this method.

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Contribute to the writing of research papers and/or patents

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews *
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters *
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
• Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document.
• These indicative responsibilities may also be included in a research role at grade 6.

• A PhD (or near completion-post-viva) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or other relevant to the research area
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluent understanding of: (1) preparation of battery materials by co-precipitation methods; (2) characterisation of cathode particles by techniques including electron microscopy, particle size analysis, tap density analysis, and X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement; (3) battery electrochemistry
• Previous experience of (1) synthesis of battery materials by co-precipitation, and (2) electrode manufacture, battery assembly, and electrochemical testing
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others…