Research Fellow - School of Chemistry Grade 7

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 for one year, with the possibility of extension until July 2029

Closing date: 3 rd November 2026

UK and International Travel may be required for this role

This job is part of an Advanced Research + Invention Agency-funded project. "Hephaisteion:
Direct Lithium Extraction using inorganic membranes made by proteins" is part of ARIA's Universal Fabricators programme. We aim to use proteins to programme the manufacture of inorganic membranes with precisely controlled pores. The ambition is to translate molecular design into scalable materials manufacturing. Based in the School of Chemistry, you will work with Dr Dominik Kubicki and Birmingham's Facility for Electron Microscopy, alongside protein scientists, materials chemists and engineers.

You will develop the microscopy and image-analysis workflows that reveal how protein assembly and the microstructure of the materials that they fabricate. Your evidence will guide which materials the team redesigns, advances and scales up. The work centres on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), reproducible sample preparation and quantitative analysis of membrane coverage, morphology, thickness and defects. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) expertise is highly desirable.

You will organise imaging around project priorities, troubleshoot artefacts and maintain traceable links between samples, images and analyses. This is an opportunity to help establish a new way of making functional materials, contribute to research publications and engage with ARIA workshops and the wider Creator community. Training and collaboration will support your development across microscopy, biological self-assembly and materials manufacturing.

• Work within specified research project
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

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

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Analyse and interpret microscopy data to quantify coverage, morphology, thickness and defects, and relate these to assembly and mineralisation conditions
• 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 reproducible microscopy and quantitative image-analysis methods, controlling preparation and imaging artefacts
• 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 through SEM and sample preparation, with supported TEM of selected samples; maintain traceable sample metadata, images and analyses
• 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
• D…