Postdoctoral Research Associate

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

Job Description – Postdoctoral Research Associate (25000086)

Department of Chemistry

Fixed Term – Full Time

Contract Duration: 12 months

Closing Date:

18-Feb-2025, 11:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable.

Working at Durham University

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside.

The Role and Department

A World Top 100 department, the Department of Chemistry at Durham is one of the very best in the UK, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in research, teaching and employability of our students.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Computational Chemistry to work with Professor Paul Hodgkinson in the Department of Chemistry at Durham University, and in collaboration with Professor Stewart Clark in the Department of Physics.

The position is to commence in April 2025. It is a fixed-term post for 12 months.

The project involves mainly computational work to exploit GPUs using directive-based accelerator offloading in the CASTEP code. CASTEP is a leading software package for calculating the properties of materials from first principles using density functional theory.

Key Responsibilities:

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to various audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder to identify areas for research and develop new research methods.
• To deal with problems affecting research objectives and deadlines.
• To liaise with research colleagues and develop knowledge for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques to peers and students.
• To supervise students and assist with their knowledge assessment.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial working environment.
• To engage in citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development.
• To be familiar with GPU-based programming in a scientific context.

This post is fixed term for 12 months. The funding is available from 01 Apr 25 for this fixed period only.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by 07 April 25.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on your research outputs, you may wish to disclose this in your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

Contact Information

For academic-related enquiries, please contact:

Department contact:

e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below.

What to Submit:

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

• A good first degree in Chemistry/Physics or a related subject.
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in Chemical Physics / Physical Chemistry or a related subject.

Experience:

• Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
• Demonstrable ability to write high-quality research software.

Skills:

• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team.
• Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.

#J-18808-Ljbffr