Division/School School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Contract type Open Ended
Working pattern Full time
Salary £33,797 - £38,017
Closing date for applications 20-Oct-2019

A postdoctoral researcher position is now available in the Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS) within the School of Civil, Aerospace, and Mechanical Engineering (CAME) at the University of Bristol (UoB).

You will be working on the EPSRC funded Programme Grant ‘High Performance Discontinuous Fibre Composites (HiPerDiF) - a sustainable route to the next generation of composites’ (EPSRC ref. EP/P027393/1). The HiPerDiF technology was invented at UoB and developed within the EPSRC funded Programme Grant ‘High Performance Ductile Composite Technology’ (HiPerDuCT). HiPerDiF is a new, patented manufacturing method to produce highly aligned discontinuous fibre reinforced composites (ADFRC). The use of ADFRC will allow generating a fundamental step-change in the composite industry tackling three critical limitations of current advanced composites, by opening the route to a circular economy model, by enabling automated high-volume production and by minimising in-process defects.

The HiPerDiF technology is currently at a lab-scale prototype stage. You will be responsible for upscaling of the technology to a semi-industrial scale prototype, taking all the necessary actions required to significantly improve the production rate and optimise the raw material delivery and processing. The final goal of this project is to establish a UoB spin-off company to provide ADFRCs solutions though consulting, production of intermediate feedstock materials and the commissioning of bespoke ADFRC manufacturing machines.

You will interact closely with and input to aligned projects (modelling and experimental) being undertaken at the UoB and you will also work closely with the project's industrial partners (drawn from different sectors of the composites industry).

You will have already, or be near to completion of, a PhD in Composites Feedstock Production (or a closely related discipline) or possess a strong industrial background in an equivalent sector.

This post is being offered on a full-time basis, with funding initially for up to 14 months. Interviews will take place shortly after the closing date. We are open to flexible working solutions.

The University of Bristol is committed to equality and we value the diversity of our staff and students.

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.