Research Associate - Designing Steels Impurity Tolerance

Research Associate – Designing Steels for Impurity Tolerance Pay Range

Salary range: £38,784 – £47,389 per annum, with potential to progress to £51,753 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

Steel is the world’s most important engineering material. The need to reduce CO₂ emissions from the steel industry is driving capital investment into low‑emission production methods such as electric arc furnaces that rely on scrap steel. However, these methods increase residual (tramp) elements such as Cu and Sn, whose metallurgical effects are poorly understood. This project will use a combination of atomistic modelling, atomic‑scale characterization, and industrial processing expertise to determine the role of residuals at the atomic scale and how they interact with alloy additions, grain boundaries and phase transformations.

The goal is to develop design guidelines to mitigate the impact of residuals on mechanical properties across a range of commercial steel grades.

• Carry out fundamental research on microstructure/process/property relationships in advanced steel alloys.
• Perform quantitative characterization of the resulting materials.
• Liaise with colleagues doing atomistic modelling and atomic‑scale characterization to inform experimental design.
• Plan work effectively, including resource availability, equipment use, liaison with technical staff, deadlines, project milestones, and overall research aims, and report progress to line manager(s) regularly.
• Coordinate and collaborate with team members and industrial sponsors involved in experimental investigations.
• Generate regular project update reports and presentations for technical review meetings with sponsors.
• Write journal and conference articles to disseminate findings in high‑quality journals and at national/international conferences.
• Prioritize activities to achieve objectives agreed with supervisors and sponsors.
• Keep up‑to‑date knowledge of relevant literature.
• Carry out other duties as required by the grade and remit of the post.

• Good honours degree (or equivalent experience).
• PhD (or imminent completion) in materials science, engineering, tribology, applied mathematics, physical science, or a related discipline.
• Experience in steel research, including melting, casting, thermomechanical processing, or testing of steels under application conditions.
• Experience in one or more of: steel processing; advanced characterization (e.g., transmission electron microscopy, electron back scatter diffraction); mechanical property testing.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team and independently taking initiative.
• Ability to help and proactively manage a collaborative project with multiple industry and academic partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, report‑writing experience, and the ability to deliver presentations to academic and industrial audiences.
• Creative problem‑solving approach with appreciation of long‑term implications.
• Capability to assess and organize resources, plan, and progress work activities to meet key project deadlines.
• Experience working with industry in the metal processing sector and willingness to attend or host meetings to develop working relationships.
• (Desirable) Detailed awareness of relevant Health and Safety regulations including risk and COSHH assessments.

Grade: 7

Salary: £38,784 – £47,389 per annum, potential to progress to £51,753 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

Work arrangement:
Full‑time

Duration:
Fixed‑term for 36 months

Line manager:
Professor Eric Palmiere

Direct reports: N/A

For informal enquiries, contact Professor Eric Palmiere at or .

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holidays and closure days (pro rata), with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous…