KTP Associate/Clinical Researcher in Medical Compression and Orthosis in Galashiels

Role: KTP Associate/Clinical Researcher in Medical Compression and Orthosis (Heriot‑Watt University and DM Orthotics)

Salary: £34,000 per annum

Contract: Full-Time (35 hours per week), Fixed Term for 13.5 months

Detailed Description

The successful candidate will secure a 13.5‑month collaborative Knowledge Transfer Project (KTP) position. The associate will learn about medical compression therapy and dynamic movement orthoses from experts at Heriot‑Watt University and DM Orthotics Ltd, before leading a project to improve patient care.

They will lead the development of a tool that facilitates the design of garments/orthoses that deliver a defined pressure and integrate this with DM Orthotics existing design systems. The Associate will use the new method to generate evidence for clinical efficacy for compression burns therapy, garments and orthoses. The associate will develop a wide range of technical skills, understanding and collaborative working practices of relevance to medical product and functional textile industries.

This project, and its Associate, fulfils a critical role within this business and will be responsible for the transfer of knowledge from Heriot‑Watt University to DM Orthotics and contribute to market growth for the business. DM Orthotics’ primary business objective is to provide products that have real clinical benefits and positively impact patient's lives.

This project will underpin DM Orthotics’ products with the science of pressure garments/orthoses and how this translates into positive, predictable clinical outcomes that can be demonstrated quantitatively. As a KTP associate you will receive training as part of a cohort and training time/budget for personal development.

This full‑time position is funded by DM Orthotics Ltd and InnovateUK. The successful appointee shall be based at DM Orthotics’ facility at Redruth, Cornwall and the project will involve working closely with colleagues at Heriot‑Watt University’s Galashiels campus in the Scottish Borders. DM Orthotics hope to offer a permanent post to the Associate after completion of the project.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and set‑up extensive laboratory experiments and clinical tests to establish key properties of materials for medical compression and orthoses
• Lead the analysis and interpretation of research data, and develop required outputs drawn from the research findings
• Investigate and implement new design and production processes, using pattern cutting software, based on effective use of test data and clinician input
• Plan and manage the activity of the project in line with the identified workplan
• Contribute to, and lead, results dissemination
• Contribute to identifying business opportunities that new insights and methods open up
• Actively participate in the activities of the wider business

The role will be based at Redruth, Cornwall. Travel to Galashiels in the Scottish Borders will be required from time to time throughout the project to undertake testing in Heriot‑Watt’s laboratories.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential

1. A first degree in textiles, fashion or mechanical or textile engineering
2. Excellent organisational/project planning skills
3. Excellent verbal and written (including report writing) communication skills
4. Excellent laboratory skills or demonstrable capacity to learn them
5. Good team player with capacity for independent work
6. The candidate must be comfortable with numbers and possess basic data analysis skills
7. The candidate must be a creative problem solver
8. Empathetic, with a genuine commitment to improving patient care

Desirable

1. Experience in product development of technical/functional clothing
2. Experience of conducting textile testing, working with Standard test methods
3. Experience of applying theoretical data to a real‑life application
4. Experience of identifying market/business opportunities
5. CAD skills, particularly pattern making and pattern cutting software
6. Data analysis and presentation skills
7. Interview skills – assess at interview only
8. Garment/orthoses fitting and evaluation skills
9. Understanding of compression and pressure theory
10. Research skills and a curiosity to learn

Benefits

• A competitive salary of £34,000.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• You will get to work with clinicians and world‑leading compression/orthoses experts at Heriot‑Watt and DM Orthotics to make real improvements to people’s lives.
• As a KTP Associate, you will be part of the national Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (ktp‑uk.org) scheme and entitled to specialist management training alongside other Associates, protected time for self‑development and a professional development budget.
• Opportunity to attend, and present at, international conferences.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, family‑friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page…

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Heriot‑Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.

Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot‑Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.