SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND ADVANCED MATERIALS

Postdoctoral Researcher in Process Modelling, Control and Optimisation

£25,134 - £32,796

Minimising the Environmental Footprint of Fast Moving Consumer Goods

A Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position is available in the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, England in the area of Mininimising the Environmental Footprint of Fast Moving Consumer Goods: Improved Cleaning Processes for a period of 30 months.  

The Research Associate will be part of a team involving the end-users companies, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, Cadbury and Scottish and Newcastle, supplier companies, Ecolab, Bruker, GEA and Alfa Laval, alongside Birmingham University and Imperial College. The goal of the project is to address the area of waste minimisation in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacture thereby reducing environmental impact through a reduction in effluent and energy.  This project seeks to achieve Zero Emissions by focussing on the root causes of the generation of emissions.  Specifically we are seeking to reduce effluent through improvements in cleaning procedures and better design of manufacturing strategies and facilities.  

The research project requires expertise in process control and optimization alongside fundamental chemical engineering and empirical based modeling. They must have excellent programming skills and be willing to work as part of an interdisciplinary team 

The successful candidates will join an RAE Grade 5 research School which is recognised for its world class research and training and it also has an outstanding reputation for research and collaboration with industry (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ceam/). They will also be a member of the SYSMA Research Group (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ceam/research/sysma/).

Candidates interested in this position should have a PhD or equivalent experience in any of the following disciplines: Process Control, Biochemica/Chemical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics or Statistics. They should be able to demonstrate good communication skills and be willing to work for periods at company sites in the UK.  Salary will be in the range of £25,134 - £32,796 per annum depending upon age, qualifications and experience.  

To apply for the positions, please send a CV and a covering letter, together with a completed Employment Record Form, to Elaine Martin, Professor of Industrial Statistics, School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Merz Court, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK. 

Further details can be obtained from Professor Elaine Martin Contact details as follows  - Tel: +44 191 222 6231; Fax: +44 191 222 5292; e-mail: [log in to unmask]

Closing date for applications is 14th March 2008.


Elaine Martin OBE
Professor of Industrial Statistics
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
Merz Court
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

Tel. No. +44 (0) 191 222 6231
Fax No. +44 (0) 191 222 5292