Salary Details: Grade 6 (£27,929 - £32,348) or Grade 7 (£34,308 - £42,155).

Contract Type: Fixed Term (24 - 30 months), 1x position, G7 Full Time; 1x position G7 Part Time - 0.5 FTE (17.5 hrs per week) & 1x position G6 Full Time.

Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.

Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.

About the Team

The Research Centre for Carbon Solu t ions (RCCS) is an interna t ional, leading engineering centre, inspiring and delivering innova t ion for the wider deployment of technologies needed to achieve decarbonisa ti on and meet net zero targets. Research is cross-disciplinary bringing together engineers and scien ti sts. RCCS collaborates and is supported by industries, interna ti onal energy policy advisors, government organisa ti ons, regional development agencies, na ti onal and interna ti onal universi ti es and research centres. RCCS has extensive state-of-the-art laboratory facili ti es covering the whole carbon solutions. RCCS has over 50 members (staff and PhD students). The team's research por tf olio includes funding from UKRI, EU H2020, EU-ERC and industries. A growing area for RCCS is greenhouse gas removal/carbon dioxide removal, where several team members are collabora ti ng on a wide range of na ti onal and interna ti onal projects. For more details rccs.hw.ac.uk

Detailed Description

We are seeking motivated and enthusiastic people to work with us to assess the technical potential of several carbon dioxide removal technologies. Carbon dioxide removal is recognised as an important part of meeting climate targets, but the merits and drawbacks of many approaches remain poorly understood. Upon completion of these ambitious projects, the research team will have completed ground-breaking research on the performance assessment of several CDR approaches and provided the field with a framework for best practice that will form the standard for the field.

We are recruiting multiple posts for two projects:

• Mineral carbonation of mine waste: The team will work with colleagues from the University of Alberta, Monash University, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation to explore the potential of mineral carbonation/ CO2 uptake in mine wastes.
• Ocean alkalinity enhancement: The team will work with a range of international stakeholders, technology developers, and scientists to develop a framework for the performance assessment of methods of increasing ocean alkalinity.

We are looking for candidates with a range of skills in the performance assessment of chemical/mineral based reaction systems, this may include chemical/process engineering, environmental engineering, electrochemical engineering, mathematical modelling. There are also opportunities to participate in our other projects in CO 2 capture, utilisation and storage, and negative emission technologies (https://rccs.hw.ac.uk).

We anticipate making appointments at multiple grades:

• For Grade 7: The successful applicants must either hold a PhD (or about to obtain) in a computational/numerate physical sciences degree (e.g., engineering, physics, chemistry), or have a postgraduate degree with substantial professional experience in technology design or assessment.
• For Grade 6: The successful applicants must hold a post-graduate degree in a computational physical sciences degree (e.g., engineering, physics, chemistry).

The posts are available from 1 st of March and will run for 24-30 months.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The post holders are required to:

• Develop performance assessment frameworks that fit a range of CDR technologies and systems
• Develop numerical models of various CDR technologies and systems (e.g., mineral carbonation, electrochemical conversion) to assess their technical performance
• Undertake technoeconomic and/or life-cycle assessments
• Synthesise the results of above analysis methods into comprehensive evaluations of CDR approaches, including impacts on the wider industrial, energy, and CDR landscape
• Work collaboratively with the team to achieve the project goals, namely: assess the feasibility of mineral carbonation and ocean alkalinity enhancement
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research with the assistance of a mentor, if required. Conduct individual and collaborative research projects, making use of relevant research techniques and methods. Disseminate results of research in peer reviewed journals and conferences, and/or other appropriate media. Continue to update personal knowledge and to develop skills within own specialist research area. Maintain written records of research results and progress generated intellectual property and data analysis. Contribute to the production of research reports and publications.
• Write research reports and publications. Analyse and interpret the results of own research and generate original ideas bases on outcomes. Prepare proposals and applications to external bodies, e.g. for funding purposes. Use initiative and creativity to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• Build internal contacts and participate in internal networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration. Work with academic colleagues on areas of shared research interest and contribute to collaborative decision making. Join external networks to share information and identify potential sources of funds.
• Provide guidance as required to support staff, research students and any other students who may be assisting with the research.
• We are looking for a creative and highly motivated researcher willing to work as part of a team.
• The successful candidate will be expected to conduct and lead their own work whilst also supervising the activities of junior group members and PhD students.
• The successful candidate is also expected to be involved in our outreach activities, with roles that can be tuned to the specific preferences of the candidate but will involve for example interviews, talks for the general public and preparation of experimental demonstrators.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential Criteria

• For Grade 7: PhD (or about to obtain)/ substantial professional experience in technology assessment and/or numerical modelling (e.g., engineering, physics, chemistry)
• For Grade 6: A post-graduate degree (e.g., MEng, MSc) in a computational physical sciences degree (e.g., engineering, physics, chemistry).
• Solid background and relevant experience in the performance assessment (technoeconomic or life-cycle) of technologies or engineering processes

• Strong experience in integration of process experimental data, thermo-physical data and modelling approaches.
• Appropriate high-quality publication record for stage and nature of the career. For academic applicants this might include writing and managing peer-reviewed papers. For professional applicants it may include writing of professional reports.
• Ability to articulate research work, both in technical reports / papers and by oral presentation
• Ability to formulate and progress work on their own initiative including time management, problem solving, flexibility.
• Ability to manage research deliverables and partners contributing to those.
• Working in an interdisciplinary field, where gaining knowledge of new areas and techniques is a constant requirement.
• Must be able to work as part of a team at Heriot-Watt and more widely with the collaborators at other Universities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, and ability to communicate complex information clearly.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with modelling electrochemical or reactive transport systems
• Experience of research-student or undergraduate project supervision
• Experience in integrating results and simulations with other academic disciplines (e.g., social sciences and operations research), and/or applying results to technology assessment
• Skills in writing bids for research grants
• Experience of working in a Higher Education or similar environment

Travel

This project will be based at the Edinburgh Campus of Heriot-Watt University, but some travel may be required (e.g., project meetings and workshops with project partners, or to attend conferences).

How to Apply

Please must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing you interest and suitability for the post & confirm specific position being applied for; (2) Full CV that includes the list of publications

Informal enquiries can be directed to Dr Phil Renforth ( p.renforth@hw.ac.uk ) and Dr Mijndert van der Spek ( M.Van_der_Spek@hw.ac.uk )

Offers will be made on confirmation of funding.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.