Research Associate in Encapsulation of Perovskite Solar Cells in Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world‑class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement, a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

We seek a Physicist / Physical Chemist / Materials Scientist with expertise in the fabrication and encapsulation of perovskite solar cells. This project is funded by the organisation ARIA and is part of the recently announced Enduring Flight programme. The project objectives are to spray-coat perovskite solar cells onto the surface of carbon fibre substrates and then encapsulate them, creating solar cell devices that have a high specific power and excellent operational stability. These devices have aerospace applications and will be explored for their capacity to provide solar power to unmanned aerial vehicles.

In this project, the successful applicant will develop various encapsulation layers onto perovskite solar cells on carbon fibre, and then characterise the specific power and operational lifetime of the device. A key part of the work will be to explore device stability under a range of conditions, including at low temperature and following rapid temperature cycling. A range of techniques will be used to deposit encapsulation layers, including e-beam evaporation, powder-coating and spray-coating. As part of the project, various demonstrator devices will be created that will be explored under real world operational conditions.

Based in Professor David Lidzey's laboratory, your role will be to work in collaboration with other researchers on the project to develop an understanding of how the different encapsulation approaches affect solar cell efficiency, specific power and stability. You will fabricate thin encapsulation films onto carbon-fibre based perovskite solar cell devices and will then determine device efficiency and operational stability. You will work closely with colleagues at the AMRC in Sheffield who will fabricate the carbon fibre and you will report your work via writing reports and presenting your data.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Design, develop and refine experiments in order to obtain reliable data.
• Carry out experimental research, including the use of chemicals and solvents in our clean-rooms.
• Fabricate encapsulation films onto perovskite solar cells and characterise their efficiency, specific power and stability.
• Tune the properties of the encapsulation films to optimise specific power and stability.
• Analyse and record data to aid the design of future research and produce useful findings for project partners.
• Prepare papers for journals/presentations either in-house or at national/international conferences or seminars to disseminate research findings.
• Write progress reports and present work at project meetings.
• Read academic papers, journals and textbooks and attend conferences to keep abreast of developments.
• Plan for specific aspects of research programmes.
• If given a particular hypothesis to examine, plan for own contribution up to 3 months ahead, incorporating issues such as the availability of resources, deadlines, project milestones and overall research aims.
• Design individual experiments weekly.
• Interact effectively with other members of the project team, sharing data and expertise and working together to reach project objectives.
• Supervise research team/activities if required.
• Continuously monitor and check results.
• Plan several months in advance to meet deadlines for journal publications and to prepare presentations and papers for conferences.
• Make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification:

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria:

• A PhD or equivalent experience in physical science or engineering.
• Experience in the development and optimisation of perovskite solar cells.
• Experience in the deposition and evaluation of functional, protective films.
• Experience integrating solar cell devices with unconventional substrate materials.
• Effective communication skills (including writing papers and making oral presentations at scientific meetings).
• Ability to communicate ideas effectively to other researchers.
• Ability to work effectively within a team.
• Ability to develop creative approaches to problem-solving.
• Ability to analyse and solve problems.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in the deposition of thin films using e-beam and spray-coating.
• Experience in using and maintaining a glovebox.

Further Information:

Grade: 7
Salary: £38,249 to £41,064
Work arrangement: Full-time
Duration: 30 months
Line manager: Prof D G Lidzey
Direct reports: n/a

Next steps in the recruitment process:

The selection process will take place following the closing date. This will consist of an interview and a tour of the laboratories involved in the project, including an opportunity to meet members of the team based in Sheffield. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact mps-staffing@sheffield.ac.uk.

What we offer:

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development.
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process. Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right.