Research Associate

The University of Manchester - Science and Engineering - Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - School of Engineering

Job reference: SAE-030987

Salary: £37,694 - £46,049 per annum depending on relevant experience

Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering

Location: Manchester

Employment type: Fixed Term

Division/Team: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Hours Per Week: 35 hours per week

Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 24/03/2026

Contract Duration: 24 months

School/Directorate: School of Engineering

Background

Applications are invited for a full time Research Associate to work on an exciting interdisciplinary research project. The post is funded by UKRI as part of a research grant entitled “Snail-Inspired Soft Robots for High Precision Drug Delivery to Malignant Tumours”. Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a rising public health threat in the UK (~44,000 cases/year), being the second common cause of cancer deaths (~10% of total mortality). This project aims to enable snail-inspired soft robots capable of regiospecific drug localisation for CRC therapy. It will use an interdisciplinary approach that combines novel skill sets within biomechanics, bionanomaterials, robotics, and cancer biology. Snail locomotion and actuation strategies will be investigated via computer simulations and studies of live animals, and this information will be used to design and realise robots for the controlled and precise localisation of targeted protein kinase inhibitors in malignant tissues. This approach is expected to overcome the key limitations of current drug delivery systems by enhancing selectivity and bioavailability while minimising off-site side effects.

Overall Purpose of the Job

The successful candidate needs to be keen on bioinspired robotics, able to disseminate research findings through various channels to maximize impact, and be enthusiastic about working in an interdisciplinary project. The PDRA of the current post will work collaboratively with a second PDRA where the PDRA for this post will mainly be responsible for the Biomechanics, Robotics, and Digital Twin work packages, whereas the other PDRA will mainly be responsible for the Bionanomaterial and Cancer Biology work packages. The individual tasks of the project will be allocated depending on the existing skill sets and preferences of the PDRAs, with additional training provided by senior members of the team so that the PDRAs can work effectively as a team when required. The PDRA for this post will primarily: (1) conduct biomechanics experiments on live snails; (2) assist in developing computational digital twin and machine learning simulations; (3) build and test robotic prototypes; and (4) undertake developmental work including data analysis and paper drafting.

Notably, to counter research staff getting sidetracked by infrastructure issues, our team has specialised research support including a Research Software Engineer to enhance the digital twin infrastructure for this project, a Systems Administrator maintaining the digital/experimental software interface, and a Senior Experimental Officer for experimental work support.

This post involves three main aspects: experiments on live snails; assistance with the development of digital twin simulations, and realisation of drug delivery soft robots. It is understood that no one candidate would be equally proficient in all three aspects. The input of the project supervisory team will be adapted to provide additional expertise and work input where required. Suitable candidates should have some demonstrated expertise/interest in relevant fields and be passionate and eager to learn and contribute to the other fields.

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Further particulars including job description and person specification are available on the University of Manchester website - click on the 'Apply' button above to find out more