Research Fellow - School of Engineering Grade 7

School of Engineering

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 February 2028

Closing date: 1st November 2026

Onco Eng is a UKRI EPSRC funded flagship programme grant concerned with research into interventions for metastatic bone disease in the spine.

It comprises a collaboration between the University of Birmingham (Lead organisation), Imperial College London, University of Leeds University College London. With this consortium the role aims to develop and implement new techniques to assess long term fatigue and fracture mechanisms within metastatic infiltrated spinal vertebrae and how these fractures may be prevented using novel minimally invasive implants. As part of this role, you will take a lead in the development and utilisation of

• novel hardware/software/protocols for surgical instrumentation to enable successful implantation of the minimally invasive implant.
• new hardware to simulate long-term fatigue and fracture of multiple spinal unit test setups,
• In-situ assessment of different loading scenarios to assess the deformation and fracture within the VB.

• 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 generating funding
• 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
• 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
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

• First degree in area of specialism and a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• A strong background/interest in spinal/bone biomechanics, materials characterisation and testing of biological tissues
• Proven skills in mechanical engineering design
• A demonstrable aptitude for experimental research with a strong understanding of the underpinning engineering science
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability…