Research Associate in catalysis 1836 views

A Research Associate position is available in catalysis for polymerisation and depolymerisation at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath. In this project, catalysis will be used as a central enabling technology to develop:

• more sustainable methods to make plastics;
• new polymeric materials capable of substituting petrochemicals in high value applications; and
• catalytic process that recycle plastic wastes into reusable monomers.

The project will also build on our established research which seeks to develop novel polymers from renewable resources (including carbohydrates and CO2). It will specifically investigate how to switch or trigger various polymerisation catalysts, so as to improve manufacturing efficiency (by controlling monomer sequence from a multi-monomer feed, obtaining easy access to complex architectures with desired properties) as well as to control the recycling of polymers into monomers after use.

This project is a collaboration between the University of Bath (group of Dr Antoine Buchard, buchardgroup.org) and the University of Oxford (group of Prof Charlotte Williams, cwilliams.chem.ox.ac.uk), and is part of the Catalysis for the Circular Economy and Sustainable Manufacturing theme of the UK Catalysis Hub (www.ukcatalysishub.co.uk), a nationwide research programme funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/news/ukcatalysishub/).

Practically, the post will involve molecular synthesis, characterisation and the application of spectroscopic and computational techniques for the investigation of polymerisation and depolymerisation reaction mechanisms and the development of new catalytic systems.

Applicants should have completed relevant doctoral training (PhD thesis submitted by the start date), with a proven track record in synthetic chemistry and catalysis. Specific experience in the area of polymer chemistry would be an advantage, as would practical experience of DFT calculations, though training would be provided for both aspects.

Good communication skills, the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and a good publication track record in peer-reviewed journals commensurate with the stage of career are essential.

1. This post is available from March 2019 and will be offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of 12 months.
2. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Antoine Buchard (a.buchard@bath.ac.uk, +44 (0)1225 386122,buchardgroup.org).

How to Apply

Applications should be accompanied by a full CV, a brief statement of research interests and aspirations (no more than 2 pages).