KTP Associate – Low Carbon Recycled Masonry Products

Are you a recent postgraduate in Materials Science, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline, looking for an opportunity to make a tangible difference?

This is your chance to take your knowledge beyond the laboratory and help develop an innovative, low-carbon construction product that transforms waste into a valuable resource.

Working with
Recycle It Global Ltd (RIG)and the University of Plymouth, you will play a key role in developing, testing and scaling up a new generation of sustainable masonry bricks made using waste-derived materials. Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), you will combine advanced scientific research with practical industrial experience to help turn an innovative concept into a commercially viable construction product.

This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of a significant technical development project, work alongside experienced industry professionals and academic specialists, and build expertise at the intersection of materials science, engineering and the circular economy.

You will lead the technical development of the new brick product, from understanding the properties of waste materials through to testing, manufacturing trials and preparation for commercial use.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Developing sustainable materials:Investigate waste-derived materials, including filter-press cake and recycled sands, and explore how they can be incorporated into innovative brick formulations.
• Experimenting and innovating:Design and optimise formulations using low-carbon and alternative binder systems to improve product performance and reduce environmental impact.
• Putting science into practice:Carry out laboratory testing to assess strength, durability, physical properties and microstructure.
• Analysing and interpreting data:Design robust experiments, analyse results and use scientific evidence to guide product development.
• Ensuring quality and compliance:Validate product performance against relevant British and European Standards, including BS EN 771-1 and the BS EN 772 series.
• Scaling up your ideas:Translate laboratory findings into pilot-scale and industrial manufacturing trials, working to optimise pressing, curing and production processes.
• Building lasting capability:Develop standard operating procedures, quality-control protocols and testing methods that become part of RIG's long-term operations
• Collaborating across disciplines:Work closely with academic supervisors, business leaders and production teams, bringing together research expertise and industrial knowledge.
• Supporting commercial success:Help prepare technical reports, communicate findings to project stakeholders and contribute to customer engagement and the introduction of the product to market.
• Sharing your work:Contribute to the dissemination of research and technical findings through appropriate academic and professional channels.

No two stages of the project will be quite the same. You will have the opportunity to investigate scientific challenges, solve practical engineering problems and see how your work contributes to the development of a real commercial product.

A KTP is more than a research role. It offers a structured opportunity to develop as a technical specialist while working directly with a business to deliver innovation.

You will benefit from:

• Real responsibility:Take a leading role in a substantial product development project, with the opportunity to shape its technical direction.
• Industry experience:Work across laboratory research, product development and industrial manufacturing, developing skills that are highly transferable across the…