Job Description Job Title: Research Associate Department/Division/Faculty: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Campus location: Skempton Building, South Kensington Campus Job Family/Level: Research, Research Associate
Responsible to: Dr Rupert J. Myers Line Management responsibility N/A for: Key Working Relationships N/A (internal): Key Working Relationships Prof. Julia Stegemann (UCL), Teresa Brown (BGS), Tom Bide (BGS), Dr Joseph Mankelow (BGS), and other academic/non- (external): academic partners in the UKRI CE Centre) Contract type: Full-Time, Fixed-Term contract from 08/02/2021 to 23/12/2022
Purpose of the post
Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate to conduct research about flows and impacts of mineral-based construction materials, as part of an exciting and influential new collaboration with five other academic partners and a large group of external stakeholders, to support the transition to a Circular Economy for construction materials in infrastructure.
Construction is one of the top 3 sectors of the UK economy. It is responsible for 8% of GDP and 10% of both UK employment and greenhouse gas emissions. Construction materials are by far the largest material resource flow globally. In the UK, we use them at a rate of more than half a million tonnes per day, and they comprise more than 60% of UK waste. Meanwhile, new infrastructure, as a proportion of total new construction, has doubled over the past 20 years, and the National Infrastructure & Construction Pipeline projects £600 billion investment in infrastructure over the next 10 years. Yet the construction industry faces serious challenges with accessing materials while also reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.
We are therefore collaborating with world-leading experts at University College London, the Universities of Loughborough, Leeds, Sheffield and Lancaster, the British Geological Survey, and a network of national and international stakeholders from across the construction industry, to provide leadership in this sector. Our research in support of a Circular Economy for built environment infrastructure in the UK will be undertaken by 15 multidisciplinary research groups, each anchored around a postdoctoral research project. Overall, the academic collaboration will involve at least 25 world-class academics, 15 postdoctoral researchers, and 30 doctoral students and 30 MSc students, representing more than 15 disciplines. All activities will be undertaken in interaction with a dynamic Stakeholder Interest Group of more than 100 members, representing the whole value chain and life cycle for construction materials. The exciting programme of work will lead to actionable solutions that will create economic value from minimising use of energy and virgin raw materials, and progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The portfolio of activities will have a total budget of more than £8M.
You will conduct material flow analysis of mineral-based construction materials and will be at the core of one of the 15 research groups in this prestigious collaboration. Working as part of a team, including specialists in this field from the University College London Circular Economy Lab (UCL CircEL), the British Geological Survey (BGS), the Yale School of Environment, the Office of National Statistics, and industrial stakeholders, they will have primary responsibility for conducting a programme of work that has been designed in
Job Description collaboration with the wider research teams. The academic research is expected to be followed by a one-year placement with an industrial partner, for practical implementation of the academic findings.
The Materials Section, where this position will be based, is one of several in the Department. Its research and teaching focuses on addressing grand challenges associated with sustainable provision of infrastructure, notably the materials required to ensure this. The Section hosts the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded (£5.4m) Advanced Infrastructure Materials (AIM) Laboratory, which is cornerstone infrastructure in the National Centre for Infrastructure Materials and UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) – a network including over ten universities and facilities across the UK.
Key responsibilities
Production and import data for mineral-based construction materials are routinely reported, including geospatial data showing thousands of quarry sites across the UK. However, the system for their processing (i.e., transformation and distribution) from these myriad sites to service (e.g., use in infrastructure), through end-of-use, is poorly characterised. This lack of understanding of the current metabolism of mineral-based construction materials limits our ability to model the environmental, economic, and social consequences and trade-offs that may arise from the significant changes in the way that mineral-based construction materials are used as a result of the transition to a Circular Economy.
To address this need, you will:
• Bring together datasets from a variety of sources to add to and unify existing incomplete datasets for stocks and flows of mineral-based construction materials • Develop a model that combines mass conservation and Bayesian probability modelling; and use it to • Quantitatively and comprehensively map current processing of materials in an industrial case study, with capture of the key properties of the flows, and taking into account the variability and uncertainty of the available data over the year • Model the effects and trade-offs associated with a linear-to Circular Economy transition; and • Support development of a National Materials Database by the Office of National Statistics, by advising on reporting standards and data sharing needs for mineral-based construction materials.
The research will develop and demonstrate a method that is applicable beyond mineral-based construction materials to all resource types and create a representation of the UK’s metabolism of mineral-based construction materials that is useable by others.
You will also be required to
• Advise and contribute to discussions regarding research by other members of the wider team, including other Research Fellows, Doctoral and Masters students • Participate in organisation of, and present their work at, quarterly meetings and workshops • Participate in formal quarterly research group meetings (as well as more frequent informal meetings), and prepare quarterly reports according to the funding requirements • Take a lead role in advising and mentoring at least two undergraduate or Masters’ projects, whose objectives will support those of the postdoctoral research project • Lead preparation of 2 journal papers (e.g., about the method and the case study), a British Geological Survey Mineral Planning Factsheet, and recommendations to the Office of National Statistics. • Carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager or Head of Department • Actively follow ICL policies, including those outlined towards the end of this job description
Job Description Due to the collaboration’s dispersed membership and set of activities, and the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the successful candidate must be fully competent in all the necessary tools and platforms to enable efficient and professional communication at all times, and confident to communicate virtually.
Job Description Person Specification
Requirements Essential (E)/ Candidates/post holders will be expected to demonstrate the following Desirable (D)
• Qualifications, experience, and knowledge Research Assistant: Near completion of a PhD in a relevant field or a Master’s degree E or equivalent experience Research Associate: Hold a PhD in a relevant field or a Master’s degree or equivalent E experience • Excellent understanding and experience with application of material flow analysis E • Excellent understanding and experience with application of Bayesian statistics or applied E mathematics, and programming (e.g. Python, Github) • Excellent understanding and experience with properties of construction materials D • Experience with databases (e.g. SQL) D • A good publication record, commensurate with the applicant’s career stage D Skills and abilities Evidence of a scientifically rigorous approach E Excellent IT skills in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and MS Teams as E well as the Internet Good English oral communication skills E Good English written communication skills E Good interpersonal skills E Strong analytical, creative, and problem-solving skills E A methodical and accurate approach to work with attention to detail E Ability to work without direct supervision E • Ability to assimilate and act on advice from the supervisors and other team members E • Ability to manage own workload to meet deadlines E • Ability to respond creatively to resolve unanticipated challenges E • Ability to travel for work, and to spend significant periods of time working in BGS D Keyworth • Personal attributes • An understanding of and commitment to the principles of the Circular Economy and the E United Nations Sustainable Development Goals • Confidence to present well-prepared information E • Openness to academic collaboration and sharing of information E • An appreciation of the contributions made by a multidisciplinary and diverse team E • Taking pride in delivering an excellent service to colleagues, students, partners and the E wider community • Anticipating and avoiding potential strategic flaws and risks in plans E • Making inclusivity, diversity and (inter)cultural awareness core to actions and decision- E making for self and team
They must also undertake specific training and assume responsibility for safety relevant to specific roles, as set out on the College Website Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities page.
Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Job Description Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to follow the 7 Imperial Expectations detailed below:
1) Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity 2) Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination 3) Communicate regularly and effectively within and across teams 4) Consider the thoughts and expectations of others 5) Deliver positive outcomes 6) Develop and grow skills and expertise 7) Work in a planned and managed way
Employees are also required to comply with all College policies and regulations paying special attention to: • Confidentiality • Conflict of Interest • Data Protection • Equal Opportunities • Financial Regulations • Health and Safety • Information Technology • Smoking • Private Engagements and Register of Interests
The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research- evaluation/
The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research- integrity/animal-research/
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