Job description

Job summary

We are seeking a Research Associate to pioneer and support the ongoing development of tools and methods that aim to operationalise the application of systems thinking in addressing sustainability challenges. The role offers a unique opportunity to work across several ongoing research projects employing holistic, integrated, and interdisciplinary thinking, addressing specific project needs, as well as researching the role of public participation and engagement in creating the enabling conditions for sustainability to emerge. You will work under the guidance of the Principal Investigator and plan and carry out research in collaboration with their postdocs, students, and associated academics.

As a member of the Centre for Environmental Policy, you will be joining a unique interdisciplinary Department in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, conducting policy-focused, fundamental and applied research to solve environmental and sustainability issues. Research at the Centre tackles a wide range of environmental topics with an emphasis on informing public policy and ensuring the commitments made by government, businesses and civil society can be upheld.

You will be involved in some of the following research activities:

• Resource Fragility and Vulnerability to Drought Assessments (funded by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations)
• The role of manufacturing antibiotics in the emergence of AMR  (funded by the Natural Environment Research Council),
• The risks associated with combined sewer overflows on receiving waters (funded by Anglian Water).
• Sustainability Assessment for Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (funded by UKRI)

The role will require project management and supervision of multi-disciplinary teams. It presents a unique opportunity to work in interdisciplinary projects, as well as developing and applying tools for sustainability assessments such as life cycle assessment, resource and material flows analysis, environmental risk assessment or participatory science research methods. You will participate in vital research that supports the transition to sustainability.  You will be expected to prepare publications for refereed journals, present at international conferences, and attract external research funding.

Duties and responsibilities

You will plan and carry out research in accordance with the project aims in collaboration with Professor Nick Voulvoulis, his postdocs, and the project’s collaborating members. You will work with large sets of data, identifying and performing suitable techniques for their analysis, integration and visualisation. In addition, you will contribute to the writing of research and progress reports, assisting in any other reporting obligations to funding organisations.

Essential requirements

• Research Associate: Hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Sustainability or Environmental Management or a closely related discipline


• Research Assistant: Near completion of a PhD (or equivalent) in Sustainability or Environmental Management or a closely related discipline


• You should have a strong background in environmental science, environmental technology and systems


• You should have experience in projects related to environmental resources management


• You should have practical experience in a broad range of techniques including Sustainability and Environmental Risk Assessments


• You should have proficiency in mathematical modelling and related statistical procedures (using GIS, Python or R or other programming languages)


• You should have excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication.

Further information

This is a full time, fixed term position for up to 8 months, with possibility of extension. You will be based at the South Kensington Campus.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant.

Should you require any further details on the role please contact: Professor Nick Voulvoulis - n.voulvoulis@imperial.ac.uk

 Hybrid working may be considered for this role.  Staff working in roles that are suitable for hybrid working will normally be expected to work 60% of their time onsite. The opportunity for hybrid working will be discussed at interview.

More information is available on the following web page: Work Location Categories (from 30 September 2023) | Administration and support services | Imperial College London

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/ 

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 which are ultimately aimed towards finding new treatments and making scientific and medical advances, and where there are no satisfactory or reasonably practical alternatives to their use. 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. Find out more about animal research at Imperial.

Documents

• Job Description Research Associate.pdf