King's College London

About us

The position will be based in the Engineering Department at King’s College London. The recently re-founded Department is rapidly expanding into a world-class research and teaching department. It consists of new state-of-the-art lab facilities located in the heart of London. We are a dynamic Department with a diverse team of academics, PDRAs, and PhDs.

About the role

This position is set within a growing research initiative supported by the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, focusing on the development of sustainable aluminium-ion batteries. The aim is to develop innovative, high-performance cathode materials for non-aqueous aluminium-ion batteries and to explore their underlying reaction mechanisms.

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher passionate about materials science and its application to energy storage devices. The work will involve the design, synthesis, and characterisation of novel inorganic materials. Synthesis methods will include mainly solid-state and solvothermal syntheses. Characterisation techniques will include X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical analysis. Advanced in-operando and ex-situ methods will be employed to gain a fundamental understanding of the structure-properties-performance relationship of the developed materials.

You will be part of a dynamic, diverse, and growing research team with a strong focus on creating a positive and collegial group culture.  We maintain strong partnerships with researchers both in the UK and internationally, and we are looking for a candidate who is excited about working in a team and willing to travel for collaborative research visits.

We place a strong focus on career development, offering opportunities for conference participation and skills development. You will also have the opportunity to mentor PhD, MSc, and undergraduate students working in the group.

This is a full time post (35 hours) per week, offered on a fixed term contract for 42 months.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      PhD (awarded or near completion) in Materials Science or Chemistry or equivalent research experience in an academic or commercial setting

2.      Strong background and significant experience in the synthesis of inorganic materials (preferably in the context of energy storage, though not required)

3.      Strong experience in materials characterisation, especially structural characterisation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), XRD data analysis, and structure refinement

4.      Experience in electrochemical characterisation and related data analysis

5.      Exposure to microstructural characterisation techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy combined with elemental mapping

6.      Ability to work independently and as part of a team, manage deadlines, and organise work effectively

7.      Proficiency in English with strong communication skills (oral and written), including the ability to write research reports and academic papers

Desirable criteria

1.      Exposure to in-operando and ex-situ characterisation methods

2.      Exposure to crystallographic structure determination of unreported materials

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.