Howard University School of Business

About the project You will join an interdisciplinary project delivered through a collaboration between the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the School of Biological Sciences, and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southampton. Plants emit sound—particularly under stress—and may respond to sound in ways that influence physiology, root function and pollination. This project will combine experiments, analysis and multiphysics modelling to establish credible mechanisms, limits and open datasets for plant acoustic emission and reception. We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate with an acoustics background to lead the acoustic measurement and analysis components, working closely with biology and modelling colleagues in a vibrant interdisciplinary team. Key accountabilities / duties You will: Design, set up and deliver robust measurements of plant-generated acoustic emissions under controlled stress conditions. Undertake acoustic and vibroacoustic measurements including airborne acoustics, air-coupled ultrasonics, structural vibration/waves. Work in specialist facilities including anechoic chambers and controlled experimental environments, ensuring high-quality, repeatable data. Develop and apply signal processing workflows for weak transient signals, long-term monitoring, feature extraction and statistical analysis. Support sound playback/stimulation protocols for plant response and pollination experiments. Contribute to modelling activities through experimental design input and provision of validation datasets. Manage and curate research data, contributing to open and reproducible workflows (code, metadata and documentation) in line with project and UKRI expectations. Prepare research outputs including papers, conference presentations and contributions to shared project datasets. Candidate requirements Essential: PhD (or near completion) or equivalent qualifications and experience in Acoustics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Signal Processing or a closely related discipline. Strong practical experience in experimental acoustics/instrumentation (sensor selection, data acquisition, calibration, uncertainty/rigour and noise control). Strong signal processing skills (e.g., using Python and/or MATLAB). Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team and communicate clearly across disciplines. Experience handling large datasets and using reproducible analysis workflows (e.g. Git/Jupyter/HDF5). Desirable: Experience with ultrasonics, vibroacoustics, structural waves, laser Doppler vibrometry, anechoic facilities, soil acoustics, and/or bioacoustics. This post is aiming to start from June 2026 (by agreement). For informal enquiries please contact Michal Kalkowski (m.kalkowski@soton.ac.uk)

About the project You will join an interdisciplinary project delivered through a collaboration between the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the School of Biological Sciences, and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southampton.The project will deliver an integrated understanding of plant acoustic emission generation and reception, including transmission pathways through plant tissues and (where relevant) soil. The modelling work will be tightly coupled to experimental campaigns and will use image-derived structures (including XCT images where available) to develop mechanistic, validated mathematical multiscale models. We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate with a modelling background to lead development of the project’s multiphysics modelling framework. Key accountabilities / duties You will: Develop models describing acoustic emission generation and reception/sensitivity in plants, aligned with experimental observations. Build image-informed model geometries and structures (e.g., using XCT datasets available within the team) and develop appropriate multiscale representations. Implement and run multiphysics simulations (e.g., vibroacoustics/wave propagation in complex media; soil–plant coupling where relevant), including parameter studies and sensitivity analyses. Work iteratively with experimental colleagues to guide measurement design, interpret results and perform model validation. Contribute to reproducible modelling workflows (version control, documentation, shareable code and outputs) and participate in production of open research outputs. Support and lead preparation of publications, presentations and final project deliverables. Candidate requirements Essential: PhD (or near completion) or equivalent qualifications and experience in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Acoustics, Computational Science or a closely related discipline. Strong experience in numerical/computational modelling (e.g., FEM/multiphysics, wave propagation, computational mechanics). Evidence of scientific programming and good software/reproducibility practice (e.g., Python/MATLAB/C++ and/or established modelling platforms). Familiarity with asymptotic and multiscale mathematical analysis methods to ground proof numerical simulations Strong communication skills and ability to work across disciplinary boundaries. Desirable: Experience with image-based modelling workflows (CT/XCT segmentation-to-mesh pipelines). Experience with inverse problems, uncertainty quantification, or modelling of biological tissues/porous media. Please email Michal Kalkowski m.kalkowski@soton.ac.uk for any informal enquiries.

The Role The Partnership Manager will be a key role in the SCENE infrastructure. Located in Durham University's Research and Innovation Services Division, you will be a member of both the regional team supporting the SCENE programme and the University's Research Commercialisation Team The postholder will work on a 'matrix' basis, with line responsibility to management structures within the host institution but functionally engaged into the regional team, building on the experience of successful collaborative working development through the Northern Accelerator programme. You will develop and deliver projects and support activities on behalf of both teams. You will provide a critical integrator role working with the core team and other Partnership Managers to drive the SCENE programme in your institution and across the partnership. You will ensure that the activities and programmes being led and developed through the SCENE programme with partners in the eco-system are well connected to the Teams within the University, drawing from our capacity and reflecting our needs and priorities. You will support the University to take advantage of the various aspects of the programme. You will also be expectedtolead on a specific activity or group of activities as part of theRegional Programme, working as part of the regional Team. For example, you might take a lead on a group of Innovation showcases, or sector facing Innovation challenges. An illustration SCENE Staffing Structures will be available here. The Department The postholder will sit within Durham University's Research and Innovation Services (RIS) team, working closely alongside both the Core Regional team which is hosted by Durham and as part of the Research Commercialisation Team. RIS is a professional services directorate at the heart of Durham University. RIS provides expertise, leadership and support to academics and professional colleagues across the University for all research, research-related, knowledge exchange and economic development activities. Our aim is to strengthen Durham's role at the leading-edge of research and innovation, inspiring extraordinary change across the world and in our region. Our vision is to facilitate world- leading research and knowledge exchange through a high-performing, high-quality service. The team is based in our exciting new professional services hub at Bolden House, which is located on the outskirts of Durham near the Arnison Centre in Pity Me. Bolden House brings professional services teams together across the University in a vibrant office environment which supports collaborative working and is designed to embrace hybrid working. Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.