Research Fellow in Reaction Automation

Registration website

Are you an experienced and ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Are you looking to apply your skills in reaction engineering to the development of new approaches for manufacturing pharmaceutical and nanoparticulate products? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research-intensive Universities?

We are seeking a Research Fellow in Reaction Automation to join a major 4-year EPSRC-funded programme - Cognitive Chemical Manufacture. The overarching project aims to develop an Industry 4.0 approach revolutionizing the transfer from laboratory to production using advanced data-rich and cognitive computing technologies. Cloud-based machine learning services will generate experiment setpoints delivered through the cloud to automated laboratory platforms. A key novelty is that the analysis services can receive and analyse results, and post further experiments to the experimental platforms, thus generating a data generation - data analysis closed-loop. This enables the application of machine learning to chemical development: the system will continuously learn, increasing in confidence and knowledge over time, from previous iterations.

The position will work alongside a Research Fellow with Process Chemistry expertise at the Institute of Process Research and Development at the University of Leeds. The role holder will interact with partners at Swagelok, AstraZeneca and Promethean Particles, to develop automated reactor platforms, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Nottingham and with experts at IBM & University College London, in the integration of machine learning algorithms for the efficient generation of kinetic and process knowledge.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Richard Bourne, Associate Professor in Reaction Engineering

Email: [email protected]

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Faculty/Service:  Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences

School/Institute:  School of Chemical & Process Engineering

Category:  Research

Grade:  Grade 7

Salary:  £34,304 to £40,927 p.a.

Due to funding restrictions, an appointment will not be made higher than £34,304 p.a.

Working Time:  37.5 hours per week

Post Type:  Full Time

Contract Type:  Fixed Term (Up to 12 months (grant funding))

Release Date:  Monday 11 October 2021

Closing Date:  Monday 01 November 2021 

Interview Date:  To be confirmed

Reference:  EPSPE1053

Downloads:  Candidate Brief