Job description

Job summary

The Department of Chemical Engineering is seeking a Research Associate in ‘Up-scaling solar hydrogen production’. A novel prototype photoelectrochemical (PEC) system for converting solar photons and water to hydrogen and oxygen will be modelled, designed, fabricated, characterised and tested.

You will be tackling the many engineering challenges involved in PEC design both experimentally and using numerical simulations. The resultant system will be used to further drive academic research in PEC engineering, provide a platform for engaging with industry and will be suitable for demonstrations during outreach activities.

You will be based in the Electrochemical Systems Laboratory in London and will also undertake a 2-week trip to Stellenbosch University in South Africa for prototype testing.

Duties and responsibilities

Your main duties and responsibilities will include:

• Simulating the PEC device and overall system performance using COMSOL Multiphysics®;
• Fabricating photoelectrode materials which, when coupled in the PEC reactor, would generate an internal bias that is sufficient to drive spontaneous H₂O splitting;
• Procuring optical components for reactor irradiation.

You will also support a PhD student, starting in 10/2022.

Essential requirements

To be successful in the role, you will need theoretical knowledge of and practical experience in assembling and characterising photoelectrochemical systems. You will also have knowledge of research methods and statistical procedures as well as practical experience within a research environment and/or publication in relevant and refereed journals.  Experience of working with graduate research students would be preferred as well as knowledge of a computer language such as COMSOL Multiphysics, Matlab and/or Python.

Further information

You can  start immediately with appointment by 30 September 2022 at the latest.  The contract will run for 18 months in the first instance. The post is based in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London (South Kensington Campus).

New appointments will have a maximum starting salary of £44,876 based on experience.  

Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Dr Anna Hankin (anna.hankin@imperial.ac.uk)

To apply, please select the "Apply Now" button at the top of this page. 

Further information about the post is available in the job description.

Should you have any queries about the application process please contact chemeng.staffing@imperial.ac.uk.

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 4^th September 2022

For technical issues when applying online please email support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level.

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/ 

Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment. We are an Athena SWAN Silver award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and work in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

Documents

• Research Associate.pdf