Overview
This Research Associate position forms part of the Retrofit Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Innovation Centre (RAMMIC), a major collaborative research and innovation programme supported through the UKRI Local Innovation Partnership Fund.
Led by the University of Salford’s Energy House Labs, RAMMIC brings together Greater Manchester capabilities in building performance, advanced materials, indoor air quality, acoustics, environmental sustainability assessment, and innovation support. Its purpose is to establish a collaborative innovation ecosystem for smart and sustainable retrofit products and processes.
RAMMIC will work with businesses to overcome technical and commercial barriers to retrofit innovation. Research and innovation activities will make use of the Energy House Labs facilities, including existing and newly developed test houses in controlled environment warehouses. The programme will evaluate new products and services under controlled conditions, generate reliable evidence of their performance and environmental effects, quantify environmental impacts across marketable comparators, and support promising innovations towards commercialisation and wider deployment. The programme will address challenges associated with the building envelope, heating and cooling systems, ventilation, material selection, commissioning, indoor air quality and the assessment of retrofit performance.
Person Specification
Essential knowledge, skills and experience
- Have, or be about to obtain, a PhD or equivalent qualification in a relevant science or engineering discipline with a significant component of research into life cycle assessment and/or technoeconomic analysis.
- Specialist knowledge of material sustainability and/or circular economy principles and the methods used to evaluate and compare them.
- Experience of using scenario and sensitivity analysis to assess life-cycle assessments or technoeconomic analyses.
- Ability to interpret complex technical findings and translate them into actionable conclusions.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Evidence of the ability to prepare high-quality research publications or equivalent technical outputs.
- Excellent organisational and research project-management skills.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to an interdiscplinary team.
- Ability to collaborate with researchers and stakeholders from different disciplinary and organisational backgrounds.
- Willingness and ability to work closely with the linked Indoor Air Quality Research Associate and integrate environmental assessments with experimental air-quality evidence.
- Ability to establish effective working relationships with businesses, innovators and external partners.
- Flexible and proactive approach to research problems and changing project requirements.
- Ability to prioritise work, manage time and resources, and meet deadlines.
- Commitment to transparent, reproducible and responsible research.
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Desirable
- Experience of assessing materials or products used in buildings, construction or retrofit.
- Knowledge of material emissions and their implications for indoor air quality.
- Experience of working with industrial partners.
- Experience of interdisciplinary collaboration involving construction, health or environmental assessment.
- Experience of translational research or innovation-support programmes.
- Experience of communicating findings to policymakers, standards organisations, practitioners or public audiences.
- Experience of organising stakeholder events or industry-engagement activities.
- Evidence of contributing to research proposals or securing external funding.
As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.
