Research Associate

*Exact Salary to be agreed with individual academic institution.

• This role can be appended to existing employment contracts at hosting universities with their express permission and agreement – if this is your intension you should discuss this possibility with your existing line manager before applying.
• This job application is composed of two steps. Expression of Interest through MarRI-UK is the first step. A panel composed of MarRI-UK academic and industry members will down-select suitable candidates based on the submission.

Suitable candidates will be referred to relevant MarRI-UK academic members for the second step of recruiting through each university’s recruiting process.

Research Assistant

Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) was founded in 2019 to help spur on the Government’s Maritime 2050 agenda, with founding members from across the British Maritime Sector, MarRI-UK has grown into a collaborative research organisation with 21 members representing the best of British industry, academia and not-for-profits. We are an industry-led membership organisation that drives the global competitiveness of the UK maritime through extensive partnerships in identifying, developing, and leveraging emerging technologies.

Our industry members include: Babcock, BAE Systems, BMT, Lloyds Register, Qinetiq, Arc, Ecomar Propulsion and Spaera.

The membership also includes eight academic members who are world leaders in maritime research and allows us to work collaboratively across the academic sector to produce ground breaking research for the maritime industry. Our academic members are, Liverpool John Moores University, Newcastle University, UCL, University of Exeter, University of Liverpool, University of Plymouth, University of Southampton and the University of Strathclyde.

MarRI-UK seeks to appoint two Research Associates to assist in a 24-month members research programme consisting of two projects, which are funded by the MarRI-UK industrial members. There are two posts available and each can be located at any one of our academic members locations. Each post is fixed for 24 months.

As a Research Associate on Clean Maritime, as part of the MarRI-UK team, you will undertake research in a Clean Maritime project.

The Clean Maritime project will see the successful candidate develop a life cycle analysis software tool which will analyse alternative fuels and their propulsion plants for different scenarios based on a life cycle analysis of alternative fuels that might be suitable for decarbonising the UK shipping fleet. The life cycle study will consider promising fuel solutions to decarbonise the UK shipping fleet considering the well-to-propeller cycle. The project will leverage all MarRI-UK’s expertise on marine technologies, alternative fuels, and ship research. The outcomes of the project will help to inform the UK Shipping Industry, UK ports, and Maritime Policy makers of the fuels of the future for the maritime industry.

To be considered for the role, you will be educated to a minimum of PhD level in an appropriate discipline, or have significant relevant experience in addition to a relevant degree. You will be a forward-thinking engineer with a background in Maritime or Mechanical Engineering. You should be able to demonstrate that you are able to carry out research independently and collaboratively and be able to work with industry members as required. You will also be required to undertake administrative duties to support the projects. You will have an ability to plan and organise your own workload effectively and an ability to work within a team environment. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences. Candidates with the necessary skillsets to undertake these projects are invited to submit their applications.

The Postholder will undertake a research project on Clean Maritime under the guidance of your PI, the MarRI-UK academic and industry members.

The postholder is expected to have experience in maritime research and be able to apply their skill set to deliver the outputs for each of the projects that will help to inform industry and UK policy makers of the future of the shipping industry.

The postholder is expected to deal with complex data of a specialist or highly technical nature and develop initiative, creativity and judgement in applying appropriate approaches to develop new innovative research methods to undertake the members research projects on behalf of MarRI-UK.

The postholder will write up research work for publication individually or in collaboration with colleagues and disseminate results as appropriate to their discipline by, for example, conference presentations, industry and Government presentations and peer reviewed publication. The postholder will contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues on research matters within their area of competence and input into administrative activities.

1. Play a lead role in the specific research project/s with guidance from MarRI-UK, Industry Members and the Academic Members as required.

2. Plan and manage own workload, with guidance from supervisor and colleagues as required.

3. Conduct individual and/or collaborative research, including determining appropriate research methods and contributing to the development of new research methods.

4. Use software to design and create analytical tools to analyse the life cycle of alternative fuels and propulsion configurations for a variety of ship types and sizes.

5. Undertake complex data collection and mining to obtain information on the current status of UK shipping fuels and the status of future fuels.

6. Take a pro-active role in managing the project including undertaking relevant administrative process, ensuring deadlines are met, and deliverables are produced to an acceptable standard.

7. Write up research work for publication and dissemination, individually or in collaboration with colleagues and MarRI-UK academic members, and disseminate results as appropriate

8. Engage in continuous professional development.

Educational and/or Professional Qualifications
(E=Essential, i.e. a candidate must meet all essential criteria to be considered for selection, D=Desirable) Essential/ Desirable

Good honours degree and PhD (or equivalent professional experience) in an appropriate discipline or at least 4 years appropriate professional experience. Essential

Membership of relevant Chartered/professional bodies (including Higher Education Academy). Desirable

Experience

Sufficient breadth or depth of knowledge in the relevant discipline/s to contribute to the specific research programme and to the development of research activities. Essential

Relevant work experience in maritime alternative fuels analysis Essential

Experience of undertaking individual research work and disseminating results including in high quality peer reviewed journals and conferences. Essential

Experience of preparing grant proposals to relevant funding organisations. Essential

Experience of complex data collection and mining Essential

Experience in developing computer and web applications Desirable

Experience of knowledge exchange related activities. Desirable

Job Related Skills and Achievements

Ability to conduct individual research work and to disseminate results Essential

Ability to plan and organise own workload effectively Essential

Ability to work within a team environment where the team comprises members from multiple organisations Essential

Ability to contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues on academic content in areas of research Essential

Journal publications in the scientific area of naval architecture, ocean and marine engineering Essential

Knowledge of maritime decarbonisation and lifecycle analysis Essential

Knowledge of various ship propulsion systems and alternative fuels Essential

Ability to deal with, analyse and interpret complex data of a specialist or highly technical nature Essential

Personal Attributes

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences Essential

Build internal and external contacts and participate in networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration. Essential

Other Relevant Factors

Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally including overnight stays from time to time to attend meetings and conferences. Essential

If you are interested in the job and would like to submit for this Expression of Interest, please send your CV, together with a cover letter to info@marri-uk.org .

A panel composed of MarRI-UK academic and industry members will down-select suitable candidates based on the submission.

Suitable candidates will be referred to relevant MarRI-UK academic members for recruiting through each university recruiting process.