Principal Research Engineer​/Principal Research Scientist

National Oceanography Centre, Southampton

Permanent

Full time (37 hours)

Who are we?

We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. Through our ground‑breaking research, collaboration, and game‑changing innovation we work to gain a deeper understanding of our ocean, helping every living thing on our planet flourish.

We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community focused on solving challenging long‑term marine science problems, underpinning international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.

The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture.

Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organisation.

We are looking for a Principal Research Engineer or Scientist to join NOC’s Ocean Technology & Engineering (OTE) team. The team develops novel, custom‑designed technology to enable cutting edge scientific research in the oceans. Presently, our major application areas are the development of autonomous chemical sensors for in situ biogeochemical analysis, automated biological sampling and analysis, and a range of novel engineered tools for coastal and deep‑sea work.

We integrate our equipment into a wide range of platforms and deploy them internationally, approaching major ocean science challenges through first demonstrations of these technologies.

The role holder is expected to develop and lead a world‑class research programme in the area of marine sensing technology. The successful applicant will be an accomplished researcher and leader of significant projects which will further the overarching research aims of OTE and NOC. Responsibilities include identifying important directions for marine technology research, leading bids for research funding, directing technology development, and managing research projects and staff.

Note that this position is approximately equivalent to the associate professor level in the UK.

This position does not have any teaching responsibilities but as a research institute our staff are able to co‑supervise graduate students.

You will have international standing in technological research with a strong track record of post‑PhD research experience. You will have a track record of successfully leading bids for research funding at the national or international scale, including for multi‑institutional projects. Your experience leading and developing research projects will be reflected in an extensive track record of impactful outputs including peer‑reviewed papers.

Direct experience creating and successfully deploying new technology for environmental sensing applications, ideally in marine settings, is critical. We are seeking someone whose technical expertise will complement the existing experience of the group. You will have a thorough understanding of your subject specialism, coupled with an interdisciplinary approach and understanding of good engineering practice. You will have enabled the development of new technologies in the past, giving you a strong reputation for innovative research and intellectual leadership.

We offer a generous set of benefits, including:

• 30 days contractual annual leave, plus 3.5 extra closure days and bank holidays
• a 10% employer contribution pension scheme (with a 15% NI saving on employee contributions made above 5%, if in the salary sacrifice scheme)
• Death in Service (3 times annual salary) provided by Aviva from day one of employment, plus access to a range of other Aviva wellbeing services
• financial support for relocation
• a salary sacrifice scheme for electric / hybrid vehicles (qualifying period applies)
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme, offering free and anonymous support on mental, physical, emotional, health and financial issues
• access to a flexible benefits portal offering online discounts, cashback and eGift cards
• a Cycle2
  
  Work scheme allowing employees to acquire…