THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
Role Profile Form

Job Title: Research Fellow (Title will be ‘Research Associate’ where an appointment is made before PhD is completed)

School/Department: Electrical Systems and Optics Research Division, Faculty of Engineering

Salary: £25,513 – £34,233 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £28,695 with relevant PhD).

Job Family and Level: Research and Teaching Level 4 (Appointment will be Level 4 Career training grade where an appointment is made before PhD has been completed)

Contract Status: This post will be offered initially on a fixed-term contract for 24-months.

Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week, Full time

Location: University Park

Reporting to: Prof Stephen Morgan

Purpose of the Role:

The purpose of this role will be to construct a novel pre-clinical imaging platform combining ultrasound and optics. The system will be evaluated using tissue phantoms before pre-clinical imaging with collaborators in the biosciences. Simulations and reconstructions will also be carried out using the NIRFAST light propagation software developed at the University of Birmingham.

The post holder will be expected to plan and conduct work using approaches or methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research, and will be responsible for writing up their work for publication. The post will effectively be shared between the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham and so good liaison between both project partners will be important.

The role holder will have the opportunity to use their initiative and creativity to identify areas for research, develop research methods and extend their research portfolio.

Main Responsibilities / % time per year
1. / Research activities will focus on the following areas:
·  Construction of the ultrasound modulated bioluminescence imaging system including interfacing of hardware and potentially design of low noise electronics for low light measurements
·  Construction of tissue phantoms containing bioluminescence and validation experiments
·  Simulations and reconstruction algorithm development through modifying the NIRFAST code
·  Supporting biosciences collaborators in carrying out pre-clinical imaging experiments / 70%
2. / Project management:
·  Developing work plans/timetables of R&D activities of the projects.
·  Participating in collaborative activities with project partners.
·  Organising and participating in project meetings and workshops for project dissemination. / 10%
3. / ·  Production of reports, publications and travel to meetings and/or outreach to the industry, scientific community and general public. Contribution to the dissemination at conferences.
·  Identification of opportunities and assistance in writing bids for research grant applications. / 10%
4. / Any other duties appropriate to the post as required by their line manager / 10%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications/ Education / PhD or equivalent in electronic engineering, physics or a related discipline or the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience in research area.
OR Near to completion of a PhD
Skills/Training / Excellent skills in systems integration, e.g. Labview and system validation.
Excellent experimental design skills
Proficiency in Matlab or a related software package
Ability to build relationships and collaborate with others, both internally and externally. / Low noise electronics design skills
Experience / Experience in constructing instruments from component parts. / Tissue optics, light scattering and or ultrasound experimentation
Light propagation simulations and reconstruction algorithms
Working within a biomedical/biosciences laboratory

Decision Making

i) Taken independently by the role holder;

·  Making individual/team decisions about design and conduct of particular research methods experiments.

·  Maintenance and repair of equipment and apparatus.

·  Advice on consumable and purchasing small scale equipment.

·  Liaison with project partners

ii) Taken in collaboration with others;

·  Direction of students/collaborators research.
·  Investigation and decisions about new apparatus/equipment for the group.
·  Publication decisions, papers, conference abstracts etc.
·  Proposals for grant application.
·  Strategy for long term research programme.

iii) Referred to the appropriate line manager by the role holder

·  Wider research strategy of our research group

Additional Information

The Faculty of Engineering is committed to reviewing its work and practices to ensure organisational effectiveness. Candidates should be aware that roles and responsibilities will inevitably evolve over time and be prepared to adapt as necessary.
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