Research Areas of Interest
We welcome proposals that align with our expertise and focus on, but not limited to one or more topics below:
- Soft matter (surfactants, polymer, colloids etc.) science and engineering
- Surface and interface
- Sustainable and circular material
- Biotribology
- Non-destructive sensing
Why Apply?
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers' careers by providing opportunities to gain international experience, acquire new skills, and expand professional networks. As a Fellow in our group, you will:
- Join an internationally recognised research team consisting of three Research Fellows and twelve Doctoral researchers
- Access a comprehensive range of characterisation tools covering multiple length scales
- Benefit from strong links with industrial collaborations both in the UK and across Europe
- Engage with academic collaborations globally
- Co-create a be-spoke career development plan in becoming a research leader
Eligibility
Applicants:
- Must hold a PhD at the time of the call deadline (applicants who have successfully defended but not yet formally been awarded the degree are eligible)
- Must have no more than eight years of research experience from the date of PhD award (career breaks and time outside research do not count toward this maximum)
- Must comply with mobility rules: not have resided or carried out their main activity in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline
- Must demonstrate a strong research background and interest in one or more of the topics listed above
Main Supervisor
Your main supervisor will be Professor Zhenyu Jason Zhang who is a Professor of Soft Matter Engineering at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham. With twenty years’ research experience and expertise in investigating soft matter at surfaces and interfaces, he leads multiple large research programmes funded by UK Research & Innovation, EU Horizon Europe, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and leads strategic partnership with numerous industrial collaborators. He has a broad interest in tribology, surface science and engineering, and polymer physics, and applies them in practical applications such as Formulated Products, Surface Coatings, Healthcare Technologies, and Food Engineering. He received the McBain Medal 2023 by Royal Society of Chemistry & Society of Chemical Industry in recognizing his accomplishment in colloids and interface research. More information about the research group can be found here: https://www.zhenyuzhang.info
Host Institution
Founded in 1900, the University of Birmingham is one of the leading research-based universities in the United Kingdom; the breadth of research expertise is a distinctive characteristic of the University. The last UK Research Excellence Framework 2021, confirmed that 92.5% of the University’s research has global reach, meaning it is recognised internationally in terms of its originality, significance, and rigour. Birmingham is 76th in the 2025 QS World University Rankings (and ranked 38th globally in Sustainability), cementing our position in the top 100 universities globally and placing us 31st among the International Research Network (IRN), which evidences highly effective global research partnerships and networks.
To Apply
If you are interested in preparing an MSCA-PF proposal with the University of Birmingham as Host Institution under the supervision of Professor Zhenyu Jason Zhang, please send your CV, a brief motivation letter, and a short research proposal (max 2 pages) by email z.j.zhang@bham.ac.uk.
