Research Associate in X-ray Imaging of Cementitious Materials – X-SeeO

Job Overview

Partnering with the University of Bath, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), France, and led by Miguel Ángel García, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Malaga (UMA), the consortium X-SeeO2 has received €4 million in funding from the EIC under the Pathfinder “Cement as Carbon Sinks” Challenge. The project is a key enabling technology, pioneering micro‑computed tomography (micro

CT) methods at the National X-ray Computed Tomography facility (NXCT) in Manchester and at the ESRF to accelerate and improve associated innovation projects.

The role is based at the University of Manchester, with regular visits to the ESRF in Grenoble and to collaborators at Malaga and Bath. The successful candidate will develop and refine imaging and characterization protocols for cementitious materials, focusing on carbonation processes, and support time‑resolved studies across the consortium.

• Develop protocols for imaging, characterizing, and quantifying cement phases and porosity (volume fraction, pore size, connectivity, etc.) using laboratory X‑ray CT and synchrotron X‑ray CT.
• Create new characterization modalities.
• Liaise with and support time‑resolved characterization of low‑carbon cements for other teams within the Pathfinder challenge.
• Perform time‑resolved and ex‑situ studies of cementitious materials at the Henry Moseley X‑ray Imaging Facility in Manchester.
• Support experiments at the ESRF and travel to collaborators as required.

• Generous employer contribution pension.
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays and Christmas closure.
• Ride‑to‑work and EV car scheme available.