{"id":3307084,"url":"https://alion.io/job/northumbria-university-research-associate","title":"Research Associate","company":{"id":1762056,"name":"Northumbria University","domain":"northumbria.ac.uk","url":"https://alion.io/company/northumbria-ac-uk","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Oracle","truth_index":null},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":42000,"max_usd":78000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":131},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":true},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"PyTorch","optional":true},{"name":"Scikit-learn","optional":true},{"name":"TensorFlow","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T16:06:44Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-26","last_verified_at":"2026-11-01T11:19:19Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":6,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":6},"description":"About the Project\nSAFER PLUS is a £1.25 million Innovate UK-funded project developing Pakistan's first full-scale plant for converting agricultural waste cotton stalks and sugarcane bagasse into engineered bio-coal pellets through torrefaction. The bio-coal directly replaces imported fossil coal in textile mill boilers and brick kilns at 40-50% lower cost, with substantially reduced emissions. The demonstration hub is being established at the University of Kamalia, South Punjab, in partnership with Eco Research Limited and Pakistani textile industry partners.\nNorthumbria University is now recruiting two Research Associates to join the SAFER PLUS team. These are distinct but complementary roles, and candidates should clearly indicate in their application which post they are applying for.\nPost 1: Research Associate in Thermochemical Conversion and Biomass Processing\nThe Role\nYou will lead the scientific characterisation and optimisation of the torrefaction process for Pakistani agricultural waste feedstocks. Working directly with the Principal Investigator, you will design and conduct experiments, produce validated fuel quality data, and generate the technical evidence base that underpins SAFER PLUS's commercial and regulatory case.\nKey Responsibilities\nConduct thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at multiple heating rates to characterise cotton stalk and sugarcane bagasse pyrolysis and torrefaction kinetics\nDevelop and validate kinetic and thermodynamic models for the torrefaction process under industrially relevant conditions\nCharacterise feedstocks and bio-coal products using XRD, FTIR, BET surface area analysis, SEM-EDS and proximate/ultimate analysis\nDetermine gross calorific value (GCV), moisture, ash, volatile matter and sulphur content of bio-coal products under varying process conditions\nInvestigate the effect of feedstock blend, moisture content, torrefaction temperature and residence time on bio-coal quality and consistency\nContribute to peer-reviewed publications and project reports\nSupport knowledge transfer activities with the University of Kamalia and industrial partners in Pakistan\nEssential Requirements\nMS/PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Energy Engineering or a closely related discipline (or equivalent research experience)\nDemonstrated experience in thermochemical conversion of biomass, specifically pyrolysis, torrefaction or gasification\nProficiency in TGA, kinetic modelling and thermodynamic analysis\nExperience with materials characterisation techniques including FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS or BET\nStrong publication record commensurate with career stage\nAbility to work independently and manage experimental programmes\nExcellent written and verbal communication in English\nDesirable Requirements\nExperience with agricultural residue feedstocks particularly cotton stalk, sugarcane bagasse or wheat straw\nFamiliarity with Pakistani or South Asian agricultural and industrial contexts\nExperience with proximate and ultimate fuel analysis for industrial applications\nKnowledge of cement, textile or brick kiln combustion requirements\nFurther information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.\nPost 2: Research Associate in Machine Learning and Systems Integration for Clean Energy\nThe Role\nYou will develop and apply machine learning and data-driven modelling approaches to optimise the integrated SAFER PLUS energy system from feedstock characterisation through torrefaction to downstream combustion performance. You will work with experimental data generated by the project team and operational data from the demonstration plant to build predictive models that maximise bio-coal quality and system performance.\nKey Responsibilities\nDevelop ML predictive models (including but not limited to Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Neural Networks) to predict bio-coal quality from feedstock properties and process parameters\nBuild and validate process optimisation models integrating torrefaction conditions, feedstock blend and downstream combustion performance\nDesign and implement a data acquisition and management framework for the SAFER PLUS demonstration plant at the University of Kamalia\nDevelop real-time process monitoring tools and dashboards for plant operators in Pakistan\nApply Python-based data science tools for model training, validation and deployment\nCollaborate with the thermochemical team (Post 1) to identify key process variables and translate model outputs into actionable operating guidance\nContribute to peer-reviewed publications, particularly at the intersection of ML and biomass energy systems\nSupport digital capacity building with Pakistani partner institutions\nEssential Requirements\nMS/PhD in Chemical Engineering, Data Science, Energy Systems, Computer Science or a closely related discipline (or equivalent research experience)\nDemonstrated experience in machine learning applied to engineering or energy systems classification, regression and optimisation methods\nProficiency in Python and relevant ML libraries (scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch or equivalent)\nExperience with process data analysis and handling industrial or experimental datasets\nStrong publication record commensurate with career stage\nAbility to translate complex model outputs into practical engineering guidance\nExcellent written and verbal communication in English\nDesirable Requirements\nExperience with biomass, thermochemical or energy conversion processes\nFamiliarity with IoT sensor integration and real-time data pipelines\nExperience with process simulation tools such as Aspen HYSYS, MATLAB or COMSOL\nKnowledge of South Asian industrial contexts or experience working with international research partners\nFurther information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.\nOpportunities available to you\nBoth posts are fixed-term for 22 months, based at Northumbria University's Newcastle upon Tyne campus with opportunities for fieldwork visits to Pakistan. Northumbria University is ranked in the Top 10 in the UK for Student Experience and Top 15 for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2026). The SAFER PLUS team offers an internationally connected research environment with active programmes in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UK.\nBoth posts offer:\n35 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)\nAccess to Northumbria University research facilities and networks\nOpportunity to contribute to a high-profile internationally funded project with direct development impact\nFor informal enquiries about either post, please contact:\nDr Jibran Khaliq, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Physics & Mathematics\n\nDr Shahid Rasul, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Physics & Mathematics\n\nSAFER PLUS is funded by Innovate UK under the Energy Catalyst Round 11 programme.\nTo apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.\nABOUT US\nJoin Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more about us.\nWith over 37,000 students from 140+ countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and more.\nOur Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviours shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold.\nBased in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding a Silver Athena Swan in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality, a bronze Race Equality Charter Award and we are a Disability Confident Leader. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.\nApply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy. Explore \"Our Exceptional People, Our Values and Behaviours \" page to learn more about our commitments and see our Privacy Policy for further details.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8920,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"Upper-Intermediate (B2)","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Annual leave","Flexible schedule"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Higher Education"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-27T01:51:48Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"GB","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"Licensed UK visa sponsor (Skilled Worker)","filings_12m":null,"filings_prev_12m":null,"green_card_filings_12m":null,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":"Skilled Worker","cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-31T06:23:40+00:00","sources":["UK Home Office: register of licensed sponsors (workers)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":5,"expected_fill_days":20,"reasons":["conf:6","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/northumbria-university-research-associate","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/northumbria-university-research-associate.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-01T19:17:44Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":29519,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1762056},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1762056"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fnorthumbria-university-research-associate"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fnorthumbria-university-research-associate"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fnorthumbria-university-research-associate"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/northumbria-university-research-associate\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fnorthumbria-university-research-associate"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3307084}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"northumbria.ac.uk","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3307084},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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