Research Assistant/Associate in adhesive development (Newcastle, GB)

Salary: Research Assistant: £32,546 - £34,132 per annum

Research Associate: £35,116 - £37,174 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 24 April 2025

The Role

Newcastle University is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Research Assistant/ Associate to join a UKRI-funded project on developing a new class of adhesive for a zero-waste economy. The goal of the project is to replace solder in printed circuit boards with a more sustainable and recyclable adhesive.

In this critical role, you will lead all measurement-based activities for a multidisciplinary team, steering the research direction of the entire project. You will also research new measurement techniques that is able to capture small quantities and new manufacturing opportunities for the developed adhesive.

You must have experience working in industry or academia and a proven track record of delivering projects on time, liaising with project partners and collaborators effectively, disseminating research findings at major conferences and journals, and playing an active role in securing further funding.

You must be passionate about working in a dedicated, diverse, and multidisciplinary research community. You must also be an excellent communicator with good interpersonal skills. Your research findings and presentations must enable the group to communicate its outcomes with local and international stakeholders, including academia, government, and key industry partners.

This position is available from the 01st of July 2025, is full time (37 hours per week) on a fixed term basis until the end of December 2025.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof Volker Pickert via email: volker.pickert@ncl.ac.uk

For more information about the School of Engineering and our research, please click here

Key Accountabilities

Conduct research in the field of adhesives that replaces solder joints Conduct research in the field of adhesives that replaces thermal paste and thermal pads Securing all resources necessary to undertake research Managing research work and the efficient use of resources Manage various research activities simultaneously Ensuring project plans are completed and reviewed Monitoring project progress and deliver results within given schedules Providing regular research project performance update reports to the management

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Extensive experience in measurement technologies, particularly in the detection of small quantities Knowledge in power electronics, testing, collection of large data, data interpretation and statistics Ability to work in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team Must have several years of work experience either in academia or in industry Experience in using tools and software that handles large data Demonstrable understanding of material in particular its electrical and thermal behaviour The ability to build prototypes, experimentation on systems and bench test Experience of, or exposure to article publications in high profile journals Experience of, or exposure to the dissemination of research outputs to a range of audiences in a variety of formats and settings (e.g. peers, students, public; journal papers, conferences and web material)

Desirable

Good understanding of thermal management Understanding of manufacturing and recycle processes Very good communications, writing and negotiation skills Demonstrate teaching skills Knowledge in proposal writing

Attributes and Behaviour

Good inter-personal skills and the ability to liaise with local and international stakeholders (government, industry, general public) as a representative of the University Experience of, or exposure to presenting and explaining research outputs in different ways to different stakeholders Willingness to travel locally, nationally or internationally at the discretion of the Principal Investigator Ability to work independently, and flexibly as part of multi-disciplinary team Ability to work with a diverse stakeholder group including industry, academia and other partners Committed to embedding the values of equality and diversity in all aspects of your work Potential for leadership in research and innovation

Qualifications

PhD awarded for Associate level (or nearing completion for Research Assistant). The subject of the PhD must cover power electronics or electric drives related subjects Underpinning engineering honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 28061