Research Associate/Fellow in Engineered Silk Manufacturing and Optical Fibre Technologies

Research Associate/Fellow in Engineered Silk Manufacturing and Optical Fibre Technologies

Job title Research Associate/Fellow in Engineered Silk Manufacturing and Optical Fibre Technologies

Department Faculty of Science

Salary Starting from £38,784, rising to £56,535.Salary for a Research Associate (Grade 7) is £ 38,784 rising to £ 46,049, salary for a Research Fellow (grade 8) is £47,389 rising to £56,535 per annum.

Join the HOLLOW SILK project, an ambitious research project funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) through its Universal Fabricators programme. HOLLOW SILK aims to develop a novel manufacturing platform based on engineered silk, for the production of microstructured optical fibres. By combining expertise in biomaterials, fibre manufacturing, chemistry, photonics and engineering, the project will establish innovative routes to advanced materials and structures that are difficult, or even impossible, to achieve using conventional manufacturing technologies.

We are recruiting two Postdoctoral Researchers to join the project for up to 36 months.

The two positions will play complementary roles within the team. We anticipate appointing at least one Research Associate, and are particularly keen for the other appointment to be made at Research Fellow level, with responsibility for providing technical leadership across the programme. The Technical Lead will help to drive rapid innovation in the programme, coordinate activities between the University of Bath and our international partners and contribute to the strategic direction and delivery of the project, as well as supporting funding bids.

Appointment will be made at Grade 7 (Research Associate) or Grade 8 (Research Fellow), depending on qualifications, experience and track record (see job description below).

As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.

The team and environment

Based within the Centre for Photonics at the University of Bath, you will work alongside Professor William Wadsworth, Dr Rox Middleton and Dr Soraya Caixeiro, and collaborate with leading international partners including Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto and Dr Giulia Guidetti (Silklab, Tufts University) and Dr David Breslauer (USA). The project will be based within the Centre for Photonics at the University of Bath, providing a highly collaborative environment.

The successful candidates will join a highly interdisciplinary and international team. Alongside the two University of Bath postdoctoral researchers, the project includes three further postdoctoral researchers based at Tufts University, a research technician at the University of Bath, and programme administrator, providing significant opportunities for collaboration, exchange of expertise and international engagement.

Researchers will also have access to relevant entrepreneurship and professional development opportunities.

In this role you will:

• Develop novel silk-based materials and fabrication processes for advanced fibre technologies.
• Plan and deliver experimental research, including materials characterisation and data analysis.
• Contribute to the optimisation of material performance and manufacturing approaches.
• Publish high-quality research and present findings at conferences and project meetings.
• Work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team spanning the UK and USA.

About you

We are looking for creative, ambitious researchers who are excited by tackling challenging problems, developing new technologies and working across disciplinary boundaries.

You should hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in Materials Science, Biomaterials, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a closely related discipline.

For applicants appointable at Grade 8 , additional responsibilities will include providing technical leadership, coordinating research activities across partner institutions, supporting project delivery as well as supporting funding bids, and helping to shape the scientific direction of the programme.

Further information

For an informal discussion regarding the role please contact Soraya Caixeiro at

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:

• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
• Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app

We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:

• Staff support groups and networks
• A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
• A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive

Right to Work in the UK: We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.

Anonymous shortlisting: We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.

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