Research Fellow (Sustainable Engineering Plastics) (110841-0826

Research Fellow (Sustainable Engineering Plastics) )

This is a re-advertisement. Previous candidates for this role need not apply.

Location University of Warwick Campus, Coventry

Department WMG

Position Type Fixed Term

Duration Fixed-term contract for 2 years

Informal Queries

• For informal queries, please contact Professor Ton Peijs (Professor of Polymer Processes) at

WMG’s Centre for Polymers and Composites (CPC) (  ) are looking for a talented and motivated Research Fellow to contribute to pioneering research in Sustainable Engineering Plastics
. The successful candidate will join the newly established EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Sustainable Engineering Plastics—a £13M collaboration between the University of Warwick, the University of Manchester, and University College London.

This ambitious programme addresses the sustainability challenges of engineering plastics in the transport, electronics, and construction sectors. It investigates a wide range of solutions, including novel materials, digital technologies, reuse and repair strategies, recycling and upcycling methods, and integrated sustainability assessments. The Hub offers a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, where post-doctoral researchers and PhD students work closely with industry partners across sectors and institutions to develop practical solutions that support the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of engineering plastics.

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the newly funded EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Sustainable Engineering Plastics (SEP) at the University of Warwick. Working within an interdisciplinary team, you will contribute to a major multi-year national research programme, delivered in partnership with the University of Manchester, UCL and more than 60 industrial partners. The Hub aims to transform the production, reuse and recycling of durable plastics, accelerating the transition to a circular economy for engineering plastics.

Your research will focus on developing innovative technologies for the efficient disassembly of multi-material products to enable repair, remanufacturing, reuse and high-value recycling. This will involve designing and characterising reversible joining technologies, including dynamic polymer networks, reversible adhesives and functional interlayers, alongside investigating selective trigger mechanisms - such as thermal, light, magnetic or chemical stimuli - that enable controlled debonding while maintaining structural integrity throughout service life.

The project spans both fundamental materials science and applied engineering, encompassing interface design, manufacturing compatibility, product integration and the development of scalable solutions for applications in the automotive, construction and electronics sectors. There will also be opportunities to integrate sensing technologies, digital tools and sustainability assessment methods to support intelligent disassembly and circular product design.

The successful candidate will undertake both independent and collaborative research, while contributing to the wider objectives of the SEP Hub in advancing the reuse and recycling of engineering plastics. You will play an active role in project management and reporting, publish in leading international journals, develop future research funding opportunities, and engage closely with academic and industrial partners. Working alongside researchers at the Universities of Warwick, Manchester and UCL, you will help advance cutting-edge polymer science and engineering while strengthening Warwick's national and international reputation in sustainable materials research.

For details on the experience and skills required, please refer to the job description attached as a PDF below.

If you are near submission of your PhD, or have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made at Research Assistant level, at the highest spinal point of pay grade 5 (£34,610 per annum).

Upon receipt of evidence confirming the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to
Research Fellow
, at the…