Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Operate and further develop the bespoke instrumented research shredder, with due regard to safety, to investigate the relationship between shredding conditions (blade speed, geometry, process atmosphere, state-of-charge, moisture regime), safety, and selective material liberation
• Investigate closed-loop wet shredding processes and additive use to promote graphite delamination and separation from cathode active material and metal fractions
• Characterise shredded cell components, black mass, and separated fractions, including establishing and operating new analytical capability (ICP-OES, SEM, XRD, and XRF) for compositional and microstructural measurement
• Generate validated datasets linking shredding parameters to safety, graphite yield, purity, and downstream metal fraction quality, for translation into industrial-scale design by MTC
• Collaborate with MTC and Ecobat to support translation of laboratory findings into deployable industrial processes
• Contribute to project reporting, milestone delivery, and dissemination to Innovate UK and project partners, including contributing to an inclusive working culture
• Foster a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document. [https://bham.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/HRDC/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B7c460d71-5114-45aa-b9dd-1692b59aeea4%7D&action=default&mobileredirect=true]

Person Specification

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in a Science or Engineering discipline relevant to the project, or equivalent qualifications
• Hold, or be close to the completion of, a PhD in an area relevant to materials recycling, battery manufacture, particle or process engineering, chemistry, or mechanical, electronic or chemical engineering
• Prior knowledge, experience and achievements in: mechanical shredding or comminution processes, particle/material separation techniques, battery safety or abuse testing, and analytical characterisation (e.g. ICP-OES, SEM, XRD, or XRF) is highly desirable, however training will be given to the right candidate in these areas
• Demonstrably high level of: analytical capability; ability to communicate complex information clearly to a diverse audience; ability to work in an interdisciplinary team; ability to co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Proven ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of, and ability to contribute to, broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document [https://bham.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/HRDC/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B7c460d71-5114-45aa-b9dd-1692b59aeea4%7D&action=default&mobileredirect=true].

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Informal enquiries to Rob Sommerville, email: r.sommerville@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/equality-diversity-inclusion].