T-ERA Fellowship in Thermal Energy Conversion, Transportation & Storage

Job Purpose

The School of Chemical Engineering is a multi-disciplinary and vibrant environment for outstanding study and research. The School is internationally renowned for its pioneering research in the areas of structured materials, formulation engineering, healthcare technologies and energy storage. A recipient of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2011 for research excellence, the School was ranked top in the recent REF 2014 exercise for the impact of its research within industry.

The School has 33 permanent academic staff, over 50 research staff, over 150 postgraduate research students and some 650 undergraduate students. The School regularly attracts research income in excess of £10 million per year through a balanced portfolio of grants from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the European Union and Industry. The School’s research is supported by two Centres for Doctoral Training in Formulation Engineering and in Fuel Cells and their Fuels.

Research in the School is structured around the following themes:

• Energy, including Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage, Bioenergy and Fuel Cells and their Fuels and recent Thermal Energy Research Accelerator (T-ERA) investment
• Formulation Engineering, including microstructure engineering, particle technology and multiphase processing
• Healthcare Technologies Institute, including nanoengineering, biomaterials and tissue engineering

Energy particularly energy storage is a core research theme which embraces many disciplines across the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Strategic investments by Government and the University via the eight great technologies initiative (~£13M) has led to the creation of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage (BCES) – a distributed centre across the campus with the School as the Hub, and a member of Birmingham Energy Institute. BCES’s research covers novel materials, components and devices (unit operation), and systems integration and optimisation (process engineering) of thermal energy storage. The Centre has recently benefited from a significant investment from the T-ERA initiative, allowing creation of new research space, purchase of the state-of-the-art equipment, and recruitment of new staff members. This has also led to the expansion of BCES’s research to thermal-electrochemical conversion and some specific aspects of electrochemical energy storage. Newly addition to the Centre is the establishment of a joint lab with the State Grid Corporation of China for energy storage research. Under these supports, we seek to appoint to a five-year research position in the broad area of thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage in reflection of these exciting new developments and to contribute to the continuing growth and success of the Centre. The overall roles within this post are:

• To conduct international-quality research in thermal energy conversion, transportation and the storage, and to bring originality and new research directions. It is expected that the candidate will take initiatives to bring research funding from various funding agents from both the UK and Internationally.
• To seek knowledge transfer and business engagement opportunities to support the sustainable development of thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage.
• To help manage and deliver research projects in the Centre.
• To help supervise research students and academic visitors in the Centre.

Person Specification

Main Responsibilities
(The responsibilities are likely to include some but not all of the activities outlined below. In addition, the responsibilities will be as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)

Research

• To plan and carry out research, using appropriate methodology and techniques, and to develop research ideas and win support, including financial support for the area of thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage, collaboratively or independently. Areas of research can include both fundamental and applied aspects of the following:
• Innovative energy conversion methods between thermal & chemical, thermal & electrical, and thermal & mechanical energy forms; materials and devices for the energy conversion and associated manufacture technologies;
• Innovative transportation methods for thermal energy; materials and devices for the efficient thermal energy transportation and associated manufacture technologies; process engineering of thermal energy transportation;
• Innovative storage technologies for thermal energy particularly thermochemical based methods; process engineering of the thermal energy storage;
• Measurement techniques for thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage;
• Development of understanding of underlying physics governing thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage through modelling across different length scales and experimental validation;

Other duties include to
Plan, publish and/or execute high quality research in chemical & process engineering.

• Project manage research activities, and/or supervise junior research staff members and PhD students.
• Present findings in high quality peer reviewed academic publications, conference proceedings and/or book chapters, as appropriate.
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding.

Management/Administration

• To contribute to Centre management/administration or have a high level of responsibility for others.
• Contribute to the administration/management of research in the Centre as required.
• Contribute to widening participation, Centre outreach, and/or public understanding of the research.
• Scope of the Role (as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)

We are seeking to appoint a candidate who will carry out international quality research within Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage and School of Chemical Engineering.

The Centre carries out research in energy conversion, transportation and storage. It is internationally recognised for thermal energy storage research covering novel materials, components / devices (unit operation), systems integration & optimisation (process engineering), energy storage economics & policy, and applications.

This post is aligned with the needs for expanding the research in thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage in the Centre. We require an individual who can apply their research knowledge to effectively and efficiently execute projects the Centre is running with a particularly focus on Thermal Energy Conversion, Transportation and Storage. The individual is expected to expand our activities and make a novel contribution and open up new areas of research, working with our strategic industrial partners.

The successful candidate will develop international research in the field of energy conversion, transportation and storage. He/she will write technical papers, apply for grants and disseminate the results of the programme.
The applicants should have a clear understanding of how he/she might interact and forge collaborations that will develop the area and exploit the excellent environment for multidisciplinary research.

The individual will be able to demonstrate potential to carry out research at a level which is commensurate with an emerging international reputation, by evidence of high quality archival peer reviewed journal publications. The individual will also contribute to the Centre management/administration, proactive interactions with our industrial collaborators particularly international partners, and supervision of junior researchers including postgraduate students at both Master and PhD levels.

Skills and Experience (as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)

Key Skills

• A good first degree together with a PhD in Chemical Engineering or a similar discipline of relevance to our energy research theme, particularly energy conversion, transportation and storage, including both hands-on experimental skills and multiscale modelling experiences.
• A record of publications in internationally leading journals and evidence of a forward publication trajectory that will enhance the reputation of the Centre, School, College and University.

Research

• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation in the area of thermal energy conversion, transportation and storage.
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results.
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods.

Management and Administration

• Ability to contribute to Centre management and administration
• Ability to assess and organise resources effectively
• Planning and Organising (as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)

Appointment will require the individual to:

• Plan for and set research objectives over a number of years.
• Plan high quality research.
• Manage research activities and/or supervise junior research staff and postgraduate students.
• Organise meetings/conferences/symposia.
• Contribute to the administration/management of research.

Decision Making (as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)
Appointment will require the individual to:

• Develop research ideas.
• Decide how to develop and undertake the research.
• Decide where and when to present research findings and what publications and conferences to target for this purpose (with guidance, if required).
• Advise, supervise and assess PhD and Master students.
• Develop knowledge in specialist area.
• Contribute to Centre management processes.

Internal/External Relationships (as appropriate to the specific role and purpose)
Appointment will require the individual to:

• Contribute to recruitment of students.