The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

Steel is the world’s most important engineering material, with the often stated “If it’s not made of steel, it’s made using steel”. The need to reduce CO2 emission from the steel industry is patently obvious and is driving global investment in steel production. The UK is making an abrupt change from the blast furnace to electric arc furnaces, which primarily use scrap steel as a feedstock and emit just a fraction of the CO2 content. This brings marked problems from the increased residual (“tramp”) elements (Cu and Sn) in the final steel. The metallurgical reasons for the effect of residual elements are far from clear. Residual elements have a complex effect on the mechanical properties of the steel.  We urgently need an abrupt advance in knowledge to mitigate the role of residuals, but this will not be brought about by the classic “knowledge informed trial and error” approach: the number of variables is simply too large. The only way forward is to understand the fundamental role of residuals at the atomic scale and how they interact with other alloy additions, with migrating and transforming boundaries.  

This grant will bring together atomistic modelling (at Imperial College), atomic scale characterization (at Imperial College) and the Sheffield expertise on the processing of steel. The focus will be on residual elements in both model and commercially relevant steels used in a wide range of applications. You will be responsible for manufacturing steels from melting through to thermomechanical processing. You will undertake extensive characterisation of the steel microstructure and mechanical properties and correlate these with the process route and composition. You will work closely with the atomistic modellers to transfer the knowledge they generate to the design of new steels. This will lead to recommendations to improve the steel products. You will work closely with the industrial sponsors of this work.

The grant is led by The University of Sheffield in close collaboration with Imperial College.  The grant will also work closely with its industrial sponsors in formulating and delivering the research. All major UK steel manufacturers are involved, namely, Tata Steel, Liberty Steel and British Steel along with SKF (Netherlands) and ThyssenKrupp (Germany). You will therefore be part of a team of researchers.

Main duties and responsibilities

Carry out research tasks focused on project delivery, under the supervision of the academic lead of Professors Mark Rainforth and Eric Palmiere:

• Inform and perform fundamental research on microstructure/process/property relationships in advanced steel alloys.

• Carry out quantitative characterisation of the resulting materials.

• Liaise with colleagues undertaking atomistic modelling and atomic scale characterization to inform your future research.

• Plan work effectively, including availability of resources (equipment usage), liaison with technical staff, deadlines, project milestones and overall research aims, and report to line manager(s) on a regular basis.

• Liaise, coordinate and collaborate with other members of the team and industrial sponsors who are involved in the experimental investigations.

• Generate regular project update reports and presentations and deliver them to the project sponsors at technical review meetings.

• Write journal and conference articles to disseminate research findings in high quality Journals and at national/international conferences.

• Prioritise activities in order to achieve objectives agreed with the supervisors and project sponsors.

• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant literature.

• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification 

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place on as soon as possible following the closing date. This will consist of an interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage 2 weeks after the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact cmbe-staffing-contracts@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.

• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.

• Generous pension scheme.

• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.

• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).

• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.

• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways

• A range of generous family-friendly policies

  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies

  • support for those going through the menopause

  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment

  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.