Research Fellow (Fusion and Plasma-Facing Components) – School of Metallurgy and Materials – 105633 – Grade 7

Position Details

School of Metallurgy and Materials, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to May 2027

Closing date: 25th May 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham 

Background

The University of Birmingham stands at the forefront of fusion engineering and advanced materials science, actively engaging with both national fusion initiatives and private sector partners to realize the vision of commercial fusion energy. Our research is focused on solving the key structural- and plasma-facing materials related issues to develop future fusion energy systems. The university interacts with the private fusion in several ways, including through a prestigious Prosperity Partnership award with Tokamak Energy – a world-leading private fusion company based in the UK

In collaboration with private fusion industry and several international partners, we are excited to announce an opening for a research fellow to explore plasma-material interactions and the effect of extreme heat flux on the degradation of novel plasma-facing materials/joints. This role is pivotal in optimizing the design and functionality the plasma-facing regions of a centre-column shield needed for the success of future Spherical Tokamak (ST) designs.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in experimental research and be eager to examine the degradation processes that occur in fusion-relevant conditions. You will be responsible for conducting experiments that measure the changes in material properties due to, but not limited to, plasma exposure, high heat flux, thermo-mechanical loads, elucidating the fundamental mechanisms at play. The findings from this research will directly inform the development of resilient materials critical for centre-column shield design. The position will strongly interface with Tokamak Energy to effectively transfer experimental data to the ongoing shield design activities for a fusion pilot plant.

Joining our team offers a unique opportunity to collaborate not only with Tokamak Energy but also with several prestigious research institutions worldwide, including Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Orsay, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States.

As part of our dedicated group, you will gain access to a wide array of state-of-the-art facilities at the university and partner institutions, enabling you to contribute to groundbreaking advancements in fusion technology.

Summary of Role

•    Work within specified research grants and projects, and contribute to writing bids 
•    Operate within area of specialism:  Fusion Energy, Nuclear engineering, fusion/nuclear materials and joints, plasma-facing components, plasma-material interactions, advanced characterization to name a few.
•    Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
•    Contribute to generating funding 
•    Contribute to licensing or spin out opportunities with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties/Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
•    Deliver cutting edge research in the specified area – fusion- & nuclear materials, fusion energy, plasma-facing components, plasma-material interactions, high heat flux testing, advanced characterization.
•    Collect experimental research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews.
•    Analyse and interpret data
•    Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
•    Disseminating research results through recognised forms of output such as publications, conferences and public engagement.
•    Support the aims of the collaboration with industry and international partners; including communications on advanced methods and techniques.
•    Develop or adapt techniques, models and methods
•    Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
•    Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research.
•    Undertake management/administration arising from research
•    Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
•    Contribute to writing bids for research funding
•    Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities that benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
•    Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
•    Carry out administrative tasks related directly to the delivery of the research
•    Ensuring good report and management practices internally and with stakeholders; meeting attendance
•    Promotes equity and diversity values acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list.

Person Specification

•    Hold a PhD (or near to completion) in a relevant area: Fusion Energy, Nuclear Materials, Metallurgy, Physics or Engineering.
•    The candidate is expected to be experienced in one or more of the following areas: nuclear materials, plasma-facing components, advanced characterization (transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, diffraction techniques including XRD), plasma-material interactions, high heat flux testing, advanced manufacturing of plasma-facing materials .
•    High level analytical capability
•    Ability to communicate complex information clearly
•    Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new methods
•    Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively 
•    Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
•    Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
•    Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
•    Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Professor Arun Bhattacharya, email: a.bhattacharya.1@bham.ac.uk 

View our staff values and behaviours here 

We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.