Job Title: Two Research Associates in Polymer-Based Materials

Job title: Two Research Associates in Polymer-based Materials

Department: Materials

Faculty: Engineering

Job Family and Level: Academic and Research, Level B

Responsible To: Principal Investigator

Liaison with: Academic and Research Staff and Postgraduate Students

Campus location: South Kensington

Duration: 12 months in the first instance with possibility of extension

Summary of the post:

Designing, synthesising and characterising innovative polymer-based materials for use in regenerative medicine and other biomedical applications.

These posts are to work on projects that exploit polymers and polymer-based components for the engineering of new materials for a range of different and exciting regenerative medicine and biosensing applications. The projects are multi-disciplinary requiring knowledge of chemistry, polymer science, material science and biofunctionalisation or bioapplications of polymers. These posts will combine novel material design with state of the art techniques for the materials characterisation.

You will be required to take the following health and safety training courses for the post Month One Safety Training ( MOST ) Risk Assessment Foundation Training ( RAFT ) I CIS Training for Safety Training Record Keeping and Data Reporting Laboratory Safety - Foundation Training (formerly Biological Safety - Foundation Training )

Key Responsibilities:

 Design and synthesis innovative polymers that engage the cell-material interface or for drug delivery purposes.  Use state of the art materials characterisation to analyse the materials.  Undertake the associated data analysis and interpretation of data.  Help the other research staff in the daily management of the group laboratories.  To liaise with the other research staff and students working in broad areas of relevance to the research project and partner institutions.  To write progress reports and prepare results for publication and dissemination via journals, presentations and the web.  To attend progress and management meetings as required and network with the other research groups.  To take initiatives in the planning of research  To identify and develop suitable techniques, and apparatus, for the collection and analysis of data  To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings  To submit publications to refereed journals  To promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College  To provide guidance to PhD Students  Contribute to bids for research grants  To maintain highly organised and accurate record of experimental Work.  To actively participate in the research programme of the Group  Assist in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research students and research assistants as required.  Any other duties as may be deemed reasonable by Head of group as well as Head of Division/Department/Section.

Where Imperial or funder conditions necessitate, you will be required to complete timesheets for your work on projects in a timely manner.

Other Duties

 To undertake any necessary training and/or development  To undertake appropriate administration tasks  To attend relevant meetings  To observe and comply with all College policies and regulations, including the key policies and procedures on Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest, Business Continuity, Data Protection, Equal Opportunities, Ethics related, External Interests, Financial Regulations, Health and Safety, Imperial Expectations (for new leaders, managers and supervisors), Information Technology, and Smoking  To undertake specific safety responsibilities relevant to individual roles, as set out on the College Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities web page www.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/organisationandarrangements.  To undertake Business Continuity responsibilities relevant to individual roles

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Imperial College London is committed to equality and valuing diversity Person Specification

The Research Associate will be self-motivated and capable of carrying out a complex research programme. The post will involve collaboration with colleagues at overseas institutions and consequently project management and communication skills are particularly important.

Applicants are required to demonstrate that they possess the following attributes:

Imperial Expectations

These are the 7 principles that Imperial leaders, managers and supervisors are expected to follow: 1) Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity 2) Communicate regularly and effectively within, and across teams 3) Consider the thoughts and expectations of others 4) Deliver positive outcomes 5) Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination 6) Support and develop staff to optimise talent 7) Work in a planned and managed way

Qualifications:

 A first degree (or equivalent) or a masters (or equivalent) in chemistry, materials science or engineering or similar.  A PhD (or equivalent) in polymer chemistry, or materials science or engineering including bioengineering or similar.

Experience and Knowledge:

 Experience in polymer synthesis (e.g. RAFT, ATRP or ROP) and characterisation (mechanical, NMR, AFM).  Experience in polymer-based drug delivery systems.  Experience in designing polymers for specific applications in regenerative medicine.  Experience in data or image analysis.  Experience in writing papers focusing on materials and their interactions with cells, including a number of first-authored papers in well-respected journals.  A proven publications record.  Knowledge of materials characterisation techniques including TEM/SEM would be desirable.

Skills and Abilities:

 Excellent written and oral communication skills  Demonstrable ability for innovation and original research  A proven publication record  Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment  Demonstrated ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature  Demonstrated ability to develop and apply new concepts  A creative approach to problem-solving  Experience of project management would be desirable