Research fellow in e-textiles and printed electronics

We seek high calibre highly motivated post-doctoral researchers to join our electronic textiles research program. The positions are funded by the EU (European Union) project: SoftIE – Materials for Sustainable Soft Technologies of Interconnected E-textiles, tackling a fundamental challenge; the lack of a robust connection and interconnects.

You will be based in the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) and be part of an EU project consortia developing new materials and processes to achieve sustainable interconnected e-textile systems.

You will work in the Printed Electronics and Materials Laboratory and other facilities. Comprehensive training and support will be provided by experienced users, enabling you to develop the skills necessary for the role. Prior experience with the equipment is not essential.

You will be invited to travel to project meetings and dissemination activities across the UK and EU. The role will also involve supporting junior research staff and contributing to the planning and delivery of group outreach activities. Reasonable adjustments will be made to support candidates for whom travel may present challenges.

The roles will involve research on the following topics.

• Novel printed copper ink formulations and other conductive materials.
• Novel sustainable adhesive materials.
• E-Textile device manufacturing, focusing on improving durability and reliability.
• Design and assembly of E-Textile demonstrators.

To be successful with your application, you will need to demonstrate:

• A PhD in an appropriate area related to one or more of the roles described above.
• Excellent experimental research skills with a strong publication track record in high-quality international journals.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills, and a proven ability to work well within multidisciplinary teams.

And a Willingness To

• Help with the supervision of PhD students.
• Contribute to commercialisation of these technologies.
• Contribute to group and project outreach activities.

Ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide, we’re bold, progressive and keen to push the boundaries. We encourage and support our researchers to pursue their research and engage in other activities, such as teaching, public engagement and enterprise, to build a rounded portfolio of accomplishments. Your success is our success, and it is in our interest to foster your development and support you to become the next generation of research leaders in your field.

As a university we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity. Athena SWAN silver award recognised, we’re committed to improving equality for women in science and engineering, so we’ll help you find a good work-life balance with flexible or even part-time working hours, with a workload adjusted accordingly. ECS provides a unique, friendly and supportive environment. We have a range of staff development programmes and a unique mentoring and wellbeing scheme. Visit https://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/workinghere to find out more about working in ECS.

The appointments are for an initial 1-year period with available funding for up to 3 years. Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Russel Torah (rnt@ecs.soton.ac.uk) and Dr Jessica Pereira (H.J.Pereira@soton.ac.uk). Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification.