Reference: B04-03742
Type: Contract
About the role
The post-holder will undertake research of significant industrial and academic relevance in the development of a continlous reactor platform for the automation and optimisation of flow systems for autonomous chemical synthesis. In the Industry 4.0 era, the rapid development of robust chemical manufacturing processes is hampered by the time and effort required to obtain highly predictive mathematical models to be used in “digital twins” of reaction systems, i.e., digital surrogates that can be used for the agile simulation, design, optimisation and scale-up of chemical reaction processes. In this EPSRC project the goal is to develop a digital twin platform, where physics-informed machine learning (ML) and optimal experimental design algorithms are coupled to enable agile exploration of the chemical process design space, fast identification of optimal reaction conditions and mechanistic understanding of chemical reaction systems using the minimum number of experimental runs.
To achieve these goals, techniques for continuous flow processing, online advanced process analytics, optimal design of experiments, physics-informed ML and advanced data analysis need to be integrated to deliver a fully automated, self-optimizing reactor platform for chemical production. The digital twin platform will enable to speed up laboratory research and accelerate process development in the chemicals and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, facilitating the cost-effective continuous manufacture of chemical products.
This is a fixed-term role for 2 years in the first instance with the possibility of extension.
Salary is between £39,508-£43,792 per annum at grade 7 spine points 29-33. Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £35,702 - £37,548 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.
This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.
This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.
A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
About you
The ideal candidate should have completed or near completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering or a cognate discipline, and have a proven track record on chemical reactor design, commissioning, evaluation and operation, experimental skills on continuous reactor platforms with online analysis. The ideal candidate should be an effective communicator in written and spoken media, demonstrate a passion for research and experimentation and show a strong desire to study and learn new concepts
