Research Assistant or Associate in Mechanics of Advanced Composite Structures

Job number ENG04050 Faculties Faculty of Engineering Departments Department of Aeronautics Salary or Salary range £45,399- £59,484 per annum Location/campus South Kensington Campus - Hybrid Contract type work pattern Full time - Fixed term Posting End Date 1 Nov 2026 About the role

You will to contribute to a large industry focussed project developing the next generations of aero-engines. You will develop strong research, supervision, network, communication and project management skills. You will gain unique hands-on experience of failure analysis polymer composites with the world experts in fractography and failure modelling of polymer composites, and use our advanced characterisation facilities. You will get the opportunity to travel to International Scientific conferences and to Universities (Oxford and Bristol) and industrial (Rolls-Royce) partners.

Your work will focus on developing and using fractographic techniques for characterisation of coupons, elements and components made using advanced technologies, such as 3D polymer composites. Your research outcomes will underpin predictive model development, our understanding of how damage and failure progresses in these materials, and motivate improvements in the design of future aerostructures.

What you would be doing

Visual inspection, optical and scanning electron microscopy of composite coupons, elements and components using fractographic techniques. This is to deduce damage and failure processes in coupons and glean the source and sequence of failures in elements and components. This will entail development of new fractographic techniques to characterise failures in advanced and complex microstructures, such as 3D composites. An important aspect will be efficient communication of your fractographic findings to academic and industry partners to inform future design of aerostructures and the development of their Failure Investigation (FI) capability to support the introduction of the next generation of aeroengine components.

What we are looking for

Research Associate: Hold a PhD in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

Research Associate and Assistant: A recognised first class masters degree (or equivalent) in Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline

• Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant.

• Experience in characterisation methods such as non-destructive evaluation and optical and scanning electron microscopy.

• Practical experience, such as mechanical testing in composites, and a good knowledge of polymer composite failure mechanisms.
• An interest in working in a larger group, collaborating and working closely with other universities and industry.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to build a strong network with contacts at other universities (Oxford) and at Rolls-Royce
• The opportunity to develop and apply fractographic techniques that could be deployed and used in practice by Rolls-Royce by their FI team.
• Ample scope for travelling to international conferences to disseminate the work done.
• Ample scope for publishing in leading journals.
• The opportunity to gain hands-on experience with state of the art optical and scanning electron microscopes.
• The opportunity to gain supervision and project management experience.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further information

If you require any further details on the role please contact:

• For the first position / task (translaminar fracture characterisation and simulation) - Silvestre Pinho – [email protected]
• For the second position / task (Fractography) – Emile Greenhalgh [email protected]

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We're here to help.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We're here to help.

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