Airbus Chair in Advanced Manufacturing

The Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (ACSE) is one of the world’s leading departments in the field, renowned for high quality, multidisciplinary research and teaching. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment, we achieved the highest ranking for quality of research publications and were ranked 3rd amongst all General Engineering Departments in the UK.

We have excellent research facilities and are very proud of our research culture that promotes and nurtures collaborative research.

The Airbus Chair, a senior position aimed at an established Professor or a high flying Reader/Associate Professor, is aimed at establishing a unique, world-leading research collaboration in Advanced Manufacturing between the Department, Airbus UK and the internationally renowned University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The focal point of this collaboration will be the £43 million state-of-the-art ‘Factory 2050’, the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing research facility.

You will have an outstanding reputation and track record in one or more of the following research areas:

• Robotics / Automation

• Automated Guided Vehicles

• Large-Scale Metrology

• Manufacturing Informatics

You will be expected to pursue fundamental as well as applied research. In addition, your role is to establish and grow a world-class advanced manufacturing research team, with expertise across all the key areas above, which builds on the existing expertise in ACSE and AMRC, as well as in our world-class research centres and institutes, including Sheffield Robotics. Supported by Airbus and AMRC, your team will develop and demonstrate, in a realistic factory environment, highly automated and flexible manufacturing solutions that deliver a step increase in productivity of aircraft wing manufacturing and assembly.

You will hold a PhD in a relevant area, have an excellent international reputation in your research field, an excellent publication profile and a proven track record in obtaining research funding and conducting research in collaboration with industrial partners.

Experience and capability in developing cross-disciplinary collaborations and a willingness to contribute to the collegiate life in the Department and research centres are also essential.