Research Associate - IGNITE

Overview

Steelmaking has been prominent in the UK for generations. The IGNITE Future Manufacturing Research Hub is a £35M project funded by £11M of EPSRC funds as well as by Universities, Trade Bodies, RTOs and Businesses over 7 years and aims to support the industry as we develop new, more environmentally friendly options to ensure the future of manufacturing of steel in the UK, to deliver environmental and economic resilience for key areas of the UK manufacturing economy including defence, transport, construction and energy. The IGNITE project aims to deliver cutting edge science and the engineering research required to create carbon neutral, resource-efficient UK steel supply chains.

Spanning the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, and the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University, the Research Associate will be the main contributor to the research task “The effect of residuals on the performance of railway rail and high strength wire steels” (New Processes for New Products) of the IGNITE research portfolio. The well-publicised change from blast furnace to electric arc furnace for the manufacture of steel means an inevitable increase in residual elements (particularly Cu and Sn) in the steel product. This project will focus on residual elements in high carbon steels used for the manufacture of, e.g. railway rail steels and high strength wire. You will be responsible for manufacturing steels from melting through to thermomechanical processing. You will undertake extensive characterisation of the steel microstructure and mechanical properties and correlate these with the process route. You will conduct modelling investigation and validation of the performance (wear, resistance to fatigue cracking) under working conditions, such as rolling-sliding contact loading. This will lead to recommendations to improve the steel products. You will work closely with the industrial sponsors of this work. You will also need to write research papers, for publication in high impact research journals.

Main duties and responsibilities

Carry out research tasks focused on project delivery, under the supervision of the academic lead of Professor Mark Rainforth and Professor David Fletcher:

• Inform and perform fundamental research on microstructure/process/property relationships in advanced steel alloys.

• Carry out quantitative characterisation of the resulting materials.

• Carry out modelling of the steel performance under application conditions (plastic damage, wear, fatigue), validating this with laboratory testing.

• Plan work effectively, including availability of resources (equipment usage), liaison with technical staff, deadlines, project milestones and overall research aims, and report to line manager(s) on a regular basis.

• Liaise, coordinate and collaborate with other members of the IGNITE team and industrial sponsors who are involved in the experimental investigations.

• Generate regular project update reports and presentations and deliver them to the project sponsors at technical review meetings.

• Write journal and conference articles to disseminate research findings in high quality Journals and at national/international conferences.

• Prioritise activities in order to achieve objectives agreed with the supervisors and project sponsors.

• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant literature.

• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification 

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

Essential or desirable

Stage(s) assessed at

Hold a PhD or be close to completion (or have equivalent experience) in materials science, engineering, tribology, applied maths or physical science or any other relevant discipline.

Essential

Application/interview

Experience in one or more of:

Steel processing (casting, thermomechanical processing etc).

Advanced characterization of steels, for example transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD).

Mechanical property testing.

Materials modelling, with experience coding in C beneficial.

Essential

Application/interview

Ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team (including industry) and be proactive in the management of the project.

Essential

Application/interview

Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, report writing skills and experience of delivering presentations to both academic and industrial partners.

Essential

Application/interview

The ability to write technical reports and scientific papers with minimal supervisory help.

Essential

Application/interview

Ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer-term implications.

Essential

Application/interview

Ability to work independently and on own initiative with effective time management skills.

Essential

Application/interview

Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts throughout own work area.

Essential

Application/interview

Detailed awareness and full commitment to the relevant Health and Safety regulations including experience carrying out and documenting risk assessments and COSHH assessments.

Essential

Application/interview

Experience of working with industry in the metal processing sector with willingness to attend or host meetings to develop working relationships.

Desirable

Application/interview

Ability to contribute to research proposal development.

Desirable

Application/interview

Further Information

Grade

7

Salary

£38,784 - £47,389 per annum

Work arrangement

Full-time

Duration

Fixed term for 3 years

Line manager(s)

Professor David Fletcher, Professor of Railway Engineering, and Professor Mark Rainforth POSCO Chair in Iron and Steel Technology

Direct reports

N/A

Our website

https://sheffield.ac.uk/cmbe

https://sheffield.ac.uk/mac

For informal enquiries about this job contact Professor Mark Rainforth on [email protected] or Professor David Fletcher on [email protected].

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in mid-October. This will consist of an interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage as soon as possible after the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact [email protected]

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

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.