Overview of the project
Lancaster’s School of Engineering is seeking to appoint a Research Associate to join an ambitious project funded by OFWAT (The Water Services Regulation Authority) to develop a new water treatment process for removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using novel magnetic composites. This is a full-time post, with funding until 30 September 2026, ideally to start in June 2025.
Role responsibilities

As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will be responsible for:

• Progressing the development of our new process, which uses novel magneto-composites, with selected compositions, particle sizes and exchange properties, to remove the DOC.
• Optimising DOC removal through design/construction of a flow unit at various experimental scales, encompassing understanding of the underlying physical chemistry and transport phenomena.
• Working with our Management specialist to develop business and service models from technical and economic perspectives to support process scale-up and expansion.
• Writing up the research findings for publication and presentations to key stakeholders

About you

We are keen to hear from candidates who have:

• Meng, MChem qualification or equivalent and preferably PhD or equivalent professional experience
• Experimental research experience, preferably in water processing, fundamental knowledge of analytical chemistry techniques and process scale-up

Why work with us
Lancaster is a research-intensive university. REF 2021 rated 99% of Lancaster’s overall research environment as 4* ‘world leading’ or 3* ‘internationally excellent’. This study which is based at the School of engineering is in collaborative with Lancaster environmental Centre, Management School and University of Bristol. The School of Engineering is internationally recognised for its high-quality teaching and research across various engineering disciplines. It has a history of excellence in research, with 95% of its research being rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Lancaster University provides an environment that strongly supports the needs of each employee, promoting a healthy work-life balance. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including:

• competitive salary with annual reviews
• generous employer pension scheme
• 39 days off a year which includes University closure days at Easter and Christmas and bank holidays
• a family-friendly approach to those with parental or caring responsibilities
• additional flexible benefits to suit your needs and interests, some with tax-savings.

And as one of our research team you will benefit from:

• a bespoke researcher induction and development programme to help you settle in and build your internal network
• our varied organisational development programme to expand your research, engagement and teaching skills
• 10 researcher development day entitlement under the Researcher Development Concordat
• a supportive environment with reduced teaching workload to enable easier transition to lectureship roles.

Find out about more of our employee benefits and life at Lancaster on our website - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/jobs
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Dr Farid Aiouache at f.aiouache@lancaster.ac.uk and Prof. Barbara Maher at b.maher@lancaster.ac.uk

• Progressing the development of our new process, which uses novel magneto-composites, with selected compositions, particle sizes and exchange properties, to remove the DOC.
• Optimising DOC removal through design/construction of a flow unit at various experimental scales, encompassing understanding of the underlying physical chemistry and transport phenomena.
• Working with our Management specialist to develop business and service models from technical and economic perspectives to support process scale-up and expansion.
• Writing up the research findings for publication and presentations to key stakeholder