Research Associate, University of Kent

Are you passionate about Research? Do you have an interest in sustainable pharmaceutical packaging? If so, this may be the role for you!

The £10M Grand Challenge project ‘Beyond single-use plastics: Processing innovation driving sustainable pharmaceutical packaging (SusPack)’, funded by Innovate UK, aims to develop innovative, sustainable packaging materials for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications by leveraging natural products and environmentally responsible processing technologies. The project is delivered in partnership between the University of Kent (Dr Vivek Trivedi, UoK lead) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which leads the programme (Dr Yiwen Pei, industry lead). This project focuses on supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂)-based processing and material innovation using sustainable feedstocks for the sustainable medicine manufacturing sector. Hence, the candidates with prior experience in scCO₂ technologies/high-pressure processing systems, and their applications in extraction and formulation science, are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Medway School of Pharmacy is a collaboration between the Universities of Greenwich and Kent, based on the joint Medway campus of both Universities, which is located next to The Chatham Historic Dockyard. The Medway School of Pharmacy has a vibrant research programme over a wide range of research areas arranged in three cognate areas (Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Drug Delivery, Clinical and Professional Practice) and a large postgraduate research student and research associate body. Our flagship undergraduate programme is the 4-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree course. In addition, we are renowned for our taught postgraduate pharmacy programmes, especially the Independent Prescribing programmes, accredited by a range of healthcare regulators.

As a Research Associate you can expect to be involved in:

Designing, executing and validating research activities and perform data analysis aligned with project objectives related to extraction, purification, processing and advanced characterisation of materials and natural products.Expertise in supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) technologies for the development of sustainable advanced material processingWorking strategically with project and industrial partners to address real-world manufacturing challenges and support regulatory complianceTraveling to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to carry out or support experimental work, access specialist facilities, and contribute to collaborative technical activities and knowledge exchange

What will you bring to the role?

A PhD or equivalent in a related field of study (e.g., Pharmaceutical Sciences, Materials Science, Natural Products Chemistry, or a closely related field)Proven experience in conducting research projects, including data collection and analysisExpertise in natural product extraction, purification, applications and analysis

What we can offer in return:

As a member of our team, you can expect a friendly, open and collaborative working environment and support in your development and wellbeing. You'll enjoy a range of great staff benefits including:

Hybrid working options allowing a flexible blend of office and home working (to be agreed in line with business needs)43 days' leave per year (personal leave, bank holidays and additional days allocated for the Christmas period, pro rata for part-time staff)Excellent pension scheme with generous employer contributionsCorporate employee-funded healthcare plan, in partnership with Benenden Health

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve – join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are: http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/

Please see the links below to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact [email protected] quoting reference number MSOP-004-25.

Closing Date: 04 Jan 2026

Section: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £44,746 per annum