We're hiring: Research Associate in Modelling of Polymer Degradation

UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage champions interdisciplinary research, bridging science, arts and humanities to lead the advance and recognition of the value of cultural heritage. The post holder will undertake research focussed on developing a new modelling approach within polymer degradation, particularly focussed on modelling degradation processes such as mass transfer and chemical reactions within plastic artefacts in museums, as part of the ERC Starting Grant funded project “COMPLEX: The Degradation of Complex Modern Polymeric Objects in Heritage Collections: A System Dynamics Approach”, in collaboration with Tate and the Museum of London. This will involve developing a model based on partial differential equations that can describe the spatial evolution within the material of the variables characterizing the system e.g. moisture content or the concentrations of organic acids. The post is for 4 years in the first instance, further funding to support the post may be available.

Key Requirements

The post holder should hold a PhD in physics, mathematics, engineering or a related field. They should have experience with mathematical modelling, an understanding of transport phenomena and experience with high-level languages and interactive environments, such as Matlab. They should have the ability to conduct high quality research and a track record of high quality publication in scientific journals.

Further details

If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact: bseer-recruitment@ucl.ac.uk 
If you have specific questions about the role please contact Dr Katherine Curran, (k.curran@ucl.ac.uk).

Click here to apply online