"Research Associate in Solid-State Molecular Organometallic Catalysis"

University of York - Department of Chemistry

Location:	York
Salary:	£37,694 to £46,049 per year
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 24th February 2026

Closes: 10th March 2026

Job Ref: 14809

Role Description

An exciting opportunity exists for a Research Associate in Organometallic Chemistry to join Professor Andrew Weller’s internationally leading group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York, UK. This full-time position is available for up to 36 months supporting the PRECISION SMOM research project, Precision Synthesis And Catalysis Using Solid-State Molecular Organometallic Chemistry. Single-Crystal Reactivity In 3D And 2D, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement 101198896).

Department

The Department of Chemistry is one of the largest and most successful departments at York and we are renowned internationally for our research. As a department, we strive to provide a working environment that allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel. We are proud of our Athena Swan Gold Award.

Role

In this project the boundaries of what can be achieved in SMOM (solid-state molecular organometallic) catalysis will be pushed back. In particular we are interested in how the molecular structure of the organometallic complexes in crystallo can be fine-tuned to develop selective catalysts for a variety of different transformations of simple feedstocks (alkanes, alkenes, and other small molecules), that also operate at close to room temperature with high conversions. The project will develop synthetic routes to in crystallo organometallics and their deployment in catalysis (batch or flow) and the interrogation of kinetics and mechanism.

The post is ideally suited to someone who is willing to take on a synthetic challenge, problem-solve in a collaborative team environment, and further develop their skills by using a wide variety of techniques to resolve structure, bonding and reactivity in organometallic systems.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications needed

You will:

• have an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and PhD in Organometallic Chemistry with knowledge of, and experience in, air sensitive platinum group metal organometallic synthesis and catalysis (including ligand design and kinetics/mechanism), advanced NMR spectroscopy and heterogeneous catalysis.
• be skilled in NMR spectroscopy as applied to Organometallic Chemistry
• be skilled in air-sensitive platinum group metal organometallic synthesis and catalysis
• be skilled in gas handling and manipulation, as applied to Organometallic chemistry
• have highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with a wide ranging audience, both orally and in writing; demonstrated ability to write up research work for publication; ability to work as part of a team and also to work independently using own initiative; ability to develop research objectives, projects and proposals for own and joint research

Interview date: 26/03/2026

For informal enquiries: please contact Professor Andrew Weller on andrew.weller@york.ac.uk