"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Polymer Characterisation"

Queen Mary University of London - School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS)

About the Role

The position is funded for 12 months through Dr Carolan’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship and offers an exciting opportunity to shape the next generation of sustainable engineering polymers, foams and composites.

The role is highly hands‑on and creative: you will manufacture new polymer formulations, refine processing routes, and carry out mechanical, fracture, thermal and microstructural characterisation. You will also work closely with modelling specialists to connect what you observe in the lab to behaviour across multiple length scales, contributing to a powerful design framework for advanced polymer systems.

This position sits within a vibrant, collaborative research environment where you’ll have the opportunity to develop your own ideas, drive new experimental approaches, and contribute to high‑impact publications.

About You

You will have, or be close to completing, a PhD in materials science, engineering, or a related discipline. You should bring strong practical experience in fabrication, testing, and characterisation of polymers or composites, and a willingness to develop new techniques where needed. Experience with thermal analysis (DSC, DMTA), mechanical and fracture testing, and microstructural analysis is highly desirable.

We welcome applicants who combine practical skill with curiosity, creativity, and a drive to push experimental science forward.

About the School

The School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) is a large, research-intensive School within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, comprising over 100 academic staff, approximately 1,700 undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, alongside more than 150 PhD researchers.

SEMS is part of Queen Mary University of London, one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities, recognised for delivering world-class education and impactful research. The School offers a dynamic and interdisciplinary research culture, ranked 7th overall in the UK for research excellence in REF2021, and 2nd nationally for world-leading research outputs.

With more than £35 million invested in recent years, SEMS benefits from extensive state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities, supporting research and teaching across a broad range of engineering and materials science disciplines.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.