Research Associate in Optical Methods for Stratification of Women at Risk of Pre-term Birth 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.

This is an exciting opportunity to explore novel methods for predicting pre-term birth, working at the engineering/medicine interface under the supervision of Professors Stephen Matcher and Dilly Anumma. You will be responsible for exploring the clinical practicality and accuracy of a cervical scanning probe, based on optical coherence tomography, for stratifying pregnant women according to their risk of preterm birth. The post will involve supporting clinical trials of the device, within the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, analysing the results and reporting on the device performance. Close work with a clinician will be required during the clinical sessions.

You will require excellent communication and interpersonal skills, combined with extensive knowledge of the academic opportunities for predicting the risk of pre-term birth. Prior experience with biophotonics tools, especially optical coherence tomography, is highly desirable as is a demonstrable interest in the use of novel technology to predict pre-term birth risk.

• Support clinical trials of the device by being present in the clinic during scans, ensuring the device is correctly initialised and is producing good quality data and that sessions are ended correctly.
• Perform exploratory data analysis on the scans in order to extract the most promising predictive biomarkers.
• Collect Voice-of-Customer input about the device, and its clinical usability, from both clinicians and patient-volunteers and use these to recommend possible improvements to the device.
• Maintain an awareness and commitment to the relevant Health and Safety rules and regulations. Provide safety information to staff and students. Carry out and document risk assessments on student and staff activities, maintain training records and liaise with the School Safety Officer to ensure compliance with legislation and University policies.
• Prepare and disseminate research findings to a range of audiences.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals.
• As a member of staff, you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

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 is 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.

• Hold, or be close to completion of, a PhD in Biophotonics, preferably in optical coherence tomography (or have the equivalent experience). Essential
• Awareness of the clinical problem of spontaneous pre-term birth and potential technologies for managing the problem. Essential
• Experience in project management. Essential
• Experience of publishing in peer-reviewed, or conference, journals. Essential
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience writing publications/reports and presenting your findings to a range of audiences. Essential
• Ability to work effectively within a team environment including individuals both internal and external to the University. Essential
• Ability to plan own workload and prioritise conflicting deadlines. Essential
• Ability to make decisions and apply creative approaches to solving complex technical problems. Essential
• Experience of research collaboration with health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, surgeons etc), ideally those working in obstetrics and gynaecology. Essential
• Experience of computer-based optical design. Essential

• Grade: 7
• Salary: £38,784 (pro-rata)
• Work arrangement: 70% FTE until 31 March 2026, then 100% FTE.
• Duration: Until 11 October 2026 with a start date of as soon as possible.
• Line manager: Professor Stephen Matcher, Professor Dilly Anumba.

For informal enquiries about this job contact Professor Stephen Matcher on s.j.matcher@sheffield.ac.uk.

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.

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