Research Fellow in Computational Chemistry and Machine Learning

at  University College London

ABOUT US

The Chemistry Department at University College London is the oldest in England, and today is one of the best in the UK, being ranked 3rd in the UK for 4* submissions in REF 2021. We are located in Bloomsbury, at the heart of London, and offer an exciting and vibrant environment in which to study in one of the UK’s top universities. The Department of Chemistry at UCL is committed to supporting excellence in both research and teaching. The department offers undergraduate BSc and MSci programmes in Chemistry and currently teaches 400 undergraduates registered in Chemistry as well as students who select Chemistry on the Natural Sciences programme and first year Chemistry for life scientists. The Chemistry Department has over 50 members of academic staff carrying out world-leading research. We specialise in the areas of organic synthesis, chemical biology, computational chemistry, nanotechnology, inorganic and materials chemistry, physical chemistry and chemical physics. The department has an annual research income of around £15 million, derived from many sources including the Research Councils (EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, and NERC), European Commission and a wide range of charities and industrial partners in the UK, Europe and the USA. Details about our research can be found on the departmental website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemistry.

Applications are invited for a Research Fellow to work in the group of Dr Tim Hele in the Department of Chemistry at University College London. The post is funded through an Enhancement Award to Dr Hele’s Royal Society University Research Fellowship Designer lighting: a radical approach to improve organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes. This proposal aims to design molecular emitters for organic light-emitting diodes with emission throughout the visible and infra-red, to model the non-adiabatic dynamics of such systems and to design molecules for singlet fission downconversion. There are further aims of using Machine Learning and AI to accurately and reliably predict the spectra of organic radicals containing a variety of heteroatoms to extend the computational methodology to systems with multiple unpaired electrons such as diradicals, and to simulate the emission mechanism of organic light-emitting diodes. The appointment is available to start immediately and in the first instance runs until 30th September 2025. Subject to funding and funder approval it may be extended to a duration of up to 28 months. Some parts of the role can be undertaken remotely if necessary and the postholder will be required to work onsite at least one day a week. Please note, appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B (salary £37,332 to £39,980 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis. A Job Description and Person Specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Please include a publication list and a CV, along with a cover letter outlining why you are interested in the role, and which of the essential and desirable criteria you meet and how. To apply for the vacancy please click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below. Informal enquiries should be addressed to Dr Tim Hele (t.hele@ucl.ac.uk). Any queries on the application process can be directed to hr.chem@ucl.ac.uk