"Postdoctoral Research Associate"

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Professor James Brownjohn. This UKRI-funded post is available from March 2026 for 12 months. The successful applicant will carry out research on population-based structural health monitoring (PBSHM) of civil infrastructure as part of the ROSEHIPS multi-institution program grant (EP/W005816/1, pbshm.ac.uk).

The researcher will be based with a sub-team of researchers from the Vibration Engineering Section at the University of Exeter (and led by Prof. Brownjohn), but will work closely with teams from Queen’s University, Belfast (led by Prof. Hester) and particularly the University of Sheffield (led by Prof. Worden) both remotely and in person.

The researcher will develop and implement a PBSHM demonstration software for asset management by the project’s industry partners. This will involve creating a bespoke software (Infrastructure Management Software, IMS) that will integrate with the existing PBSHM software created by the researchers at the University of Sheffield. Creation of this technological showcase will be a key part of the research to demonstrate to current and potential industrial partners the potential benefit of PBSHM.

The researcher will exploit existing data sets (from operational bridges, communications masts, wind turbines) to integrate into the showcase software. The researcher will characterise structures (for existing and new data) as ‘irreducible element’ models, thus enabling the PBSHM software to draw inferences for similar structures in a population.

The researcher will take a leading role in the curation of the software. We are looking for a keen developer to join the PBSHM team and help build some of the fundamental technologies for PBSHM adoption.

There will be opportunities to participate in, and gain experience with, field measurements of full-scale structures with the Exeter and Belfast teams.

About you

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will have coding skills in Python, PIP, JSON and HTML and will be experienced in using MongoDB. They will also have an understanding of good software engineering practises (unit tests, version control, documentation, etc).

Please ensure you read the Job Description / Person Specification for full details of this role, by clicking the 'Apply' button.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research.
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly.
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development.
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career.
• A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy.
• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon.

Further information

For further information please contact Professor James Brownjohn, e-mail j.brownjohn@exeter.ac.uk.

The closing date for completed applications is 26th November. Interviews are expected to take place shortly after the closing date.