Research Associate (fixed-term) (ED12072)

Job title Research Associate (fixed-term)

Department Mathematical Sciences

Salary Starting from £37,999, rising to £45,163

Grade Grade 7

Contract Type Full Time, Fixed Term

Placed on Monday 04 November 2024

Closing date Sunday 01 December 2024

Interview date Wednesday 18 December 2024

Reference ED12072

Applicant Visa Guidance Skilled Worker visa: guidance for applicants (bath.ac.uk)

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About the role

We are looking for an adventurous and talented researcher to fill a postdoctoral position as part of the £7.3M EPSRC Programme Grant, MaThRad (Mathematical Theory of Radiation Transport).

This five-year interdisciplinary programme of research will use modern mathematical methods from probability theory, advanced Monte Carlo methods and inverse problems to develop novel approaches to the theory and application of radiation transport.

The programme grant is held jointly between the University of Warwick, University of Bath, University of Cambridge, University College Hospital, and the National Physical Laboratory. This position will be based at the University of Bath.

Nuclear technology is based around the principle of how radiation particles interact with materials.

Whilst the microscopic behaviour of such systems is well understood, the degree of inhomogeneity involved means that the ability to predict the flux of particles through complex physical environments on the macroscopic (human) scale is a significant challenge.

This lies at the heart of how we design, regulate and operate some of the most important technologies for the twenty-first century. These include:

MaThRad is pursuing an interactive exploration of foundational, translational and application-driven research; developing predictive mathematical models with quantifiable accuracy and software prototypes, ready for real-world implementation in the energy, health care and space exploration nuclear industries.

As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year

About you

The successful candidate will work with Professor Alexander Cox to improve our theoretical understanding of current Monte Carlo algorithms used in a range of applications relating to Radiation Transport, and to develop novel methods which can improve the methods used by our academic and industrial partners.

Experience of conducting high quality research on interacting particle systems or rare event simulation will be highly desirable.

Willingness to explore the interaction with ad-hoc and interdisciplinary approaches is highly desirable.

No prior knowledge of the application area is expected, however a willingness to engage with applications is essential, as well as to collaborate with scientists who are not mathematicians.

You will from time to time be required to undertake other duties of a similar nature commensurate with the grade of appointment as reasonably required by your line manager.

Additional information

Please submit a CV and a cover letter, indicating how your experience aligns with the project, and outlining any other relevant experience of researching in group or interdisciplinary settings.

Note that we currently operated an anonymous shortlisting stage. You should answer the shortlisting questions anonymously, and also attach a CV and cover letter, which will be considered following anonymous shortlisting.

Candidates wishing to have an informal discussion regarding the role should contact Alexander Cox ([email protected]), Tristan Pryer ([email protected]) or Emma Horton ([email protected]).

Find out more about our benefits.

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us @UniofBath and @UniofBathJobs on Twitter for more information.

We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.