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

We have an opening for a polymer chemist within a team of 13 researchers spread across the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol working on a £7.3 M collaborative project funded by EPSRC and led by Prof Graham Leggett.

The aim of our five-year programme is to develop a new modular approach to the creation of photonic materials, inspired by structures found in biological photosynthetic membranes.

Your role, based in Sheffield and working with Prof Steve Armes FRS and Prof Graham Leggett, will be to design synthetic pigment-polymer antenna complexes for incorporation into molecular photonic breadboards, and to work collaboratively with other team members to explore their photophysical properties. Synthetic polymer scaffolds will be grown using surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerisation (SI-ATRP) and used to organise chromophores in 3D. You will develop solution-processing routes for the production of quantum optical materials, and design sensors for use in early detection of cancer that utilise strong light-matter coupling.

Educated to PhD level in chemistry, physics or materials science (or equivalent experience), you will have experience of surface-initiated polymerisation, preferably SI-ATRP, including familiarity with methods for the characterisation of polymer brushes. A passion for working as a member of a team is essential.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Design, develop and refine experiments in order to obtain reliable data.
• Carry out research.
• Interact effectively with other members of the project team, sharing data and expertise and working together to reach project objectives.
• Supervise research team/activities if required.
• Read academic papers, journals and textbooks and attend conferences to keep abreast of developments.
• Prepare papers for journals/presentations either in-house or at national/international conferences or seminars to disseminate research findings.
• Write progress reports and present work at project meetings.
• If given a particular hypothesis to examine, plan for own contribution up to 3 months ahead, incorporating issues such as the availability of resources, deadlines, project milestones and overall research aims. Design individual experiments weekly.
• Continuously monitor and check results. The unpredictability of research means that daily planning is required to accommodate new developments.
• Plan several months in advance to meet deadlines for journal publications and to prepare presentations and papers for conferences.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• 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 15/9/25. This will consist of an interview and a short presentation. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 1/9/25. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Prof Leggett.

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.
• 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.