Postdoctoral Research Associate

Applications are invited for a Post-doctoral Research Associate position to work in the Department of Anthropology at Durham University. The successful candidate will join a five-year EPSRC Programme Grant project called “Electrical Composites” (EleComp) that involves eleven academics from Imperial College London, University of Bristol and Durham University. The successful applicant will work within a multidisciplinary team of electrochemists, material scientists, composite engineers, fellow anthropologists and sustainability experts on structural power composites (SPCs).

These transformative materials can do two things at once: store electrical energy whilst carrying mechanical loads. SPCs have been heralded by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of the , which recognised t heir potential to fundamentally reshape how infrastructure, aerospace, automotive, and electronic products are designed and manufactured. By simultaneously delivering lightweighting and efficient energy storage, these materials will provide huge weight and volume savings. They will offer tremendous design freedoms, delivering products that just can’t be achieved with conventional batteries.

The EleComp team will meet the overarching scientific, engineering and societal goals required to realise Electric Composites. Pursuit of these goals will be directed by new Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tools that include an anthropological perspective; a unique approach to responsible and inclusive engineering and material science. As well as working directly with the pioneers and international leaders in SPCs, you will closely interact with a broad international academic, policy and industrial network. EleComp will provide you with an inspirational and supportive research environment to cross-fertilise ideas and develop new multidisciplinary skills. With SPCs having garnered considerable public, academic and industrial interest, this is an opportunity for you to contribute to unveiling an Electric Composites future that will impact future generations and profoundly affect everybody’s lives.  

Closing Date: 09-Sep-2026, 11:59:00 PM