Research Fellow in Plasmonic Catalysis for Pollutant Abatement

Job title:

Research Fellow in Plasmonic Catalysis for Pollutant Abatement

Company

UCL

Job description

About usThe Chemistry Department at University College London is the oldest in England, with 100% of its outputs ranked as being world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) in the recent REF2021. We are located in Bloomsbury, at the heart of London, and offer an exciting and vibrant environment in which to study in one of the UK’s top universities. The Department of Chemistry at UCL is committed to supporting excellence in both research and teaching. The department offers undergraduate BSc and MSci programmes in Chemistry and currently teaches ~650 undergraduates registered in Chemistry as well as students who select Chemistry on the Natural Sciences programme and first year Chemistry for life scientists.The Chemistry Department has over 60 members of academic staff carrying out world-leading research. We specialise in the areas of organic synthesis, chemical biology, computational chemistry, nanotechnology, inorganic and materials chemistry, physical chemistry and chemical physics. The department has an annual research income of around £15 million, derived from many sources including the Research Councils (EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, and NERC), European Commission and a wide range of charities and industrial partners in the UK, Europe and the USA.The Research Complex at Harwell (RCaH) is a science-led national resource with a mission to enable and add value to outstanding new science that benefits and benefits from the close proximity to the UK’s Central Facilities. It comprises a mix of research hubs, individual groups and facilities that fall within the physical, life and laser sciences. About 180 researchers are based there. The research priorities include Energy Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, Catalysis, Structural Biology of infectious disease and a cross cutting Correlative and Integrated Imaging theme (with a time domain focus). RCaH is conveniently located next to the Diamond Light Source (DLS), the UK Neutron Source (ISIS), the Central Laser Facility (CLF) and the electron microscopy imaging centre.Details about the research performed at both institutions can be found on the departmental website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemistry and https://www.rc-harwell.ac.uk/About the roleThe research fellow will work in the group of Andrew Beale in the Department of Chemistry, University College London but will be based at the Research Complex at Harwell, Didcot in Oxfordshire. They will be working on an international and diverse Catalytic Plasmonics project ( CPLAS ) that aims to explore chemical processes at the interface with plasmonic nanostructures and develop improved photochemical processes for a range of environmental and technological challenges.The work seeks to design new plasmonic (metal nanoparticle) catalysts and catalytic processes for the removal of volatiles such as NOx, NH 3 and VOCs. The research is highly interdisciplinary and the postholder will primarily focus on performing catalyst testing under flow conditions and using a tuneable light source to effect the reaction. Additional activities will include providing insight into the salient characteristics of the catalytic materials provided by the wider CPLAS consortium (Kings, Imperial, Bath and Cardiff). This will involve the use of lab-based characterisation methods such as (XRD, DRIFTS, Raman, XPS, Chemisorption etc) but will also make use of central facilities at the Harwell Campus (i.e. Diamond Light Source, Central Laser Facility) and beyond (i.e. European light sources such as ESRF, Hasylab, SLS etc.)The appointment is funded by the EPSRC for up to 24 months.The post is either a UCL grade 6b (£38,357 – £41,005) OR grade 7 (£43,124 – £51,610) post, per annum (including London Allowance of £5,125 p.a.).Please note, appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B (salary £38,357 – £41,005 per annum, including London Allowance of £5,125) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.About youThe successful candidate will have a PhD degree (or be about to be awarded a PhD) in an area of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a discipline related to the study of catalyst performance testing using thermal or photocatalytic methods. Experience with catalytic performance testing and synthesis, a good publication track record, a demonstrated commitment to excellence, and excellent skills in the lab are required. They will be required to work in a multidisciplinary, collaborative team and have effective written and verbal communication skills in English.To access a full job description and person specification please click the link below. To apply please click “Apply now”. In your application please upload a CV, list of publications and a cover letter stating why you are interested in the role and how you meet the criteria.For informal enquiries please contact Professor Andrew M. Beale, Andrew.beale@ucl.ac.uk. Any queries on accessing the online application link can be directed hr.chem@ucl.ac.ukWhat we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN silver award. We are committed to advancing gender equality within our department.

Expected salary

Location

London

Job date

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 23:40:00 GMT

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