Research Fellow in Atmospheric Measurements

Role Description

We welcome applications from passionate measurement scientists to join our team to develop and deploy a new instrument measuring oxidative reactivity which will contribute to improved knowledge of the atmospheric lifetime of methane and other gases.

About the Role

The successful applicant will work principally on a new project which involves the integration of the gas chromatograph with photo-ionisation detector (iDirac) with an Atmospheric Oxidation Module in order to produce an OH reactivity instrument capable of measuring autonomously in the background atmosphere. After testing in the University of Leeds’ Highly Instrumented Reactor for Atmospheric Chemistry, four further versions of the iDirac-AOM will be constructed and deployed at clean air monitoring observatories to measure the OH reactivity in the background atmosphere. These measurements will inform the understanding of OH concentrations and give more confidence in estimates of the removal rate and lifetime of methane. Continued measurements over time would allow any changes in OH reactivity to be observed.

The successful candidate will lead on this project and have the opportunity to play a leadership role in further development of iDirac and in the use of atmospheric instruments at Cranfield more generally. He/she will take a leading role in the interpretation of the measurements and the publication of high quality, peer-reviewed papers.

This role will be mainly based in the laboratory and will also require working at the National Physical Laboratory and the University of Leeds. Some overseas work will be required for the deployment of the new instrument.

About You

You will have a PhD (or close to completion) in a discipline related to atmospheric science. You will be a self-motivated, ambitious individual with an active interest in supporting evidence-driven decision-making through the development of novel atmospheric instruments. This position is aimed at post-doctoral researchers. You will have experience in relevant areas such as making atmospheric measurements, instrument development, chromatography, coding skills and will have experience of or interest in making field measurements of the atmosphere. You will have excellent communication skills and be confident to work both independently and as part of a team.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

The Cranfield Environment Centre encourages the development of agile and transformative adaptation and mitigation measures to counter the substantive challenges posed by climate change and the biodiversity crisis (here).

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply                                   

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Professor Neil Harris, Professor of Atmospheric Informatics, on (E): Neil.Harris@cranfield.ac.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on (E): peoplerecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 5046.

Closing date for receipt of applications:   7 May 2025

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the stated closing date should we receive sufficient numbers of applications. Therefore, we would encourage you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.