Research Associate in Smart Building Materials Policy

Role

Title:

Research Associate in Smart Building Materials Policy

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389 per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week) Fixed-term (60 months)

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator:  to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About our Team

The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS) is one of the UK’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. We aim to attain excellence in the teaching of the core disciplines that contribute to a sustainable, resource and energy efficient society and are committed to undertaking high value, high impact research and knowledge transfer in topics of relevance to global challenges.

The School of EGIS enjoys facilities consistent with its location in modern, purpose-built accommodation across global campuses and is well equipped in respect of laboratories for materials, structures, engineering, building services and hydraulics research and teaching. Our research and teaching facilities in Dubai and Malaysia are contained within purpose-built campuses in Dubai Knowledge Park and Putrajaya, respectively.

The School is one of the leading research centres in the UK. It has sustained a high reputation for the international standing of its research over two decades. The School of EGIS is a leader in fundamental and applied research and directly aligns with addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our research institutes facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations and the delivery of large consortium projects to provide impact solutions.

Environmental science and sustainability are areas for which we have a long history and are integral to the research strategy of the School going forward.

• Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES)
• The Urban Institute (TUI)
• Institute of Geoenergy Engineering (IGE)
• Institute of Sustainable Built Environment (ISBE)
• Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE)

All academic staff based on our campuses contribute to the research activities of one (or more) of our Institutes. These Institutes support a wide range of research activities of relevance to a sustainable, resource and energy efficient society. Institute staff undertake research funded by research councils, charitable foundations, local and national government. Research outcomes are published in leading international and national journals and key findings are widely disseminated through other media and forms of output.

Staff in the School are embedded with HWU Global Research Institutes (e.g., the Lyell Centre Global Research Institute as well as the soon to be formed Net-Zero Global Research Institute).

Purpose of Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the flagship Smart Char programme, a five-year, EPSRC funded research programme. The postholder will focus on developing actionable policy and regulatory frameworks to support the uptake of biochar-concrete as a climate-positive, smart material.

This work is a part of the Smart Char:
Enabling Smart, Circular, and Climate-Positive Construction in the UK programme led by Aston University, Birmingham. The outputs of this research will support the development of smart, low-carbon concrete for applications in housing, commercial buildings, transport, and critical infrastructure. Benefits include reduced GHG emissions, extended lifespan of concrete structures, lower maintenance costs, and enhanced safety through real-time monitoring. The work will inform policy, stimulate new markets for sustainable construction products, and help achieve national Net Zero and resilience targets.

It also creates opportunities for skills development, supply chain innovation, and international leadership in sustainable construction.

The work will be managed within the School of EGIS in close collaboration with Aston University Birmingham and University of Edinburgh. The Urban Energy Research Group within ISBE comprises a team of…