Research Associate in Laser Surface Texturing for EV Battery Manufacturing en Heriot-Watt University

Research Associate in Laser Surface Texturing for EV Battery Manufacturing

Directorate: School of Engineering & Physical Sciences 

Grade: Grade 7 (£37,236 - £47,389)

Contract Type: Full Time (1FTE), Fixed Term (36 Months) 

Rewards and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday) for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University 

Detailed Description

The Research Associate (RA) will work on developing and demonstrating laser-based surface texturing for application to electric vehicle battery manufacturing, working with other researchers at the University of Sheffield, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the University of West of Scotland to develop a laser texturing / soldering process to provide high quality electrical contact along with the suitability for end-of-life component separation and recycling.  The position is part of the EPSRC-funded (£1.7M) project “Sustainable Reversal Of Metallic Adhesive Connections Tailored For Augmenting Net Zero Transportation (SURFACTANT).

The overall approach of the SURFACTANT project is to deliver a flexible manufacturing process by combining surface engineering and active based soldering alloys to remove the use of flux to engineer ‘solderphilic’ and ‘solderphobic’ surfaces enabling connection, separation and reconnection without performance degradation whilst minimising negative environmental impact.  

The Heriot-Watt Research Associate will contribute to the SURFACTANT project by undertaking research on laser surface texturing to manufacture optimised engineered surfaces that encompass topography and surface chemistry interactions to locally tailor wettability creating solderphilic and solderphobic responses.  They will also contribute to work on the development of  suitable process monitoring for both the surface engineering and laser based soldering process for each material combination.

Research Environment

The project will be based in the High-power Laser Applications Laboratories at Heriot-Watt University, working directly with Prof Duncan Hand and Prof Martin McCoustra. There will also be research interactions with the other partners, including collaborative laboratory working and other meetings, for which there will be a requirement to travel.

The RA will report on project progress at weekly meetings within Heriot-Watt, and to quarterly review meetings with our project partners.  This will involve the preparation of presentations and reports. We also plan to submit scientific papers on the research outcomes to scientific and/or engineering journals and conferences.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• We are looking for a creative and highly motivated researcher willing to work as part of a team. Good communication skills and an appropriate publication record are essential. 
• General tasks will involve engineering and scientific research; analysis and interpretation of data; daily oversight of the activities of postgraduate and undergraduate project students in the laboratory; communication with other investigators involved in this collaborative project; preparation of scientific papers; presentation of research at partnership workshops and meetings, as well as national and international conferences.
• The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to experimental design and procedure as part in a collaborative decision-making process, while taking responsibility for implementing experiments, theoretical models and data analysis. 
• Responsibilities will also include assistance in the day-to-day maintenance of the experimental facilities, liaising with external collaborators; assisting in the development of student research skills, and contributing to teaching (lab and tutorial demonstrations) in relevant taught courses within Physics and Engineering at Heriot-Watt. 
• The successful candidate is also expected to be involved in our outreach activities, with roles that can be tuned to the specific preferences of the candidate but will involve for example interviews, talks for the general public and preparation of experimental demonstrators for use in schools. 

Essential Criteria

1.Place of Work 

This role is based on the Heriot-Watt Edinburgh campus, and it is not suitable for remote or hybrid working. It will also include some requirement to travel, including for face-to-face meetings & laboratory work with the project partners: University of Sheffield, AMRC North West, and the University of West of Scotland. 

2. Education, Qualifications and Experience 

• A PhD or Engineering Doctorate in a relevant area of Physics or Engineering or related subject (or a thesis submitted by the closing date of the advertised position). 
• Ability to articulate research work, both in written technical reports / papers and by oral presentation. 
• Must have proven academic ability and a demonstrable high level of technical competence in experimental science and the analysis / modelling of the results. 
• Ability to formulate and progress work on own initiative with evidence of research ability: problem solving, flexibility. 

3. Skills and Experience

• Experience with lasers and optics applied to engineering.
• Experience with applications of high power lasers.
• Demonstrating strong experimental skills. 
• Leading the writing of scientific papers. 
• Understand and adhere to information security practices particularly as it relates to personal and commercially sensitive information.
• Energy and enthusiasm for the project.

Desirable Criteria

Skills and Experience 

• Previous experience working in a laser applications research environment. 
• Demonstrating skills & experience in topics relevant to the project, including the following:  
  • Laser-based surface processing  
  • Sensors for monitoring laser-based processes
  • Laser system set-up and maintenance for laser-based materials processing. 
• Demonstration of / proof of ability to; 
• Lead authorship of experimental development reports / publications. 
• Lead a project and maintain focus on the project aims.  
• Implementation of rigorous engineering processes / scientific method. 
• Exploit innovative technology concepts and emerging manufacturing technologies; 
• Skills of collaborating with senior and junior research team members.  
• Establish a close working relationship with external partners of a research project. 

About our Team 

Heriot-Watt is pioneering the development of laser-based manufacturing processes and applications and successfully transferring these to a wide range of industrial sectors.

The High Power Laser Applications (HPLA) group under the lead of Prof Duncan Hand and Dr Richard Carter is part of the dynamic, multi-national Applied Optics and Photonics Group (AOP: http://www.aop.hw.ac.uk/) at Heriot-Watt University. The HPLA group uses a wide range of laser sources (from CW through to ultra-short pulsed lasers) to address research challenges in laser-based manufacturing.  In addition, the SURFACTANT project team at Heriot-Watt includes Prof Martin McCoustra, Professor of Chemical Physics and a surface scientist.

Travel 

Travel to project partners for face-to-face technical and review meetings, and for collaborative working. 

Annual national conference (2-3 days within the UK) and at least 1 international conference (~ 1 week) are also expected. 

About Heriot-Watt 

Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry. 

Nearly 30,000 students study with Heriot-Watt across business, engineering, design and the social, physical, biological and sports sciences. Our student body is roughly split evenly between the UK, our two campuses in Dubai and Malaysia, and online, with the latter being distributed across almost all the countries of the world. We also have many partnerships with other institutions world-wide who award Heriot-Watt degrees. 

The School of Engineering & Physical Sciences has an international research reputation and close connection with the professional and industrial world of science, engineering and technology. Our research ranges from fundamental sciences through to engineering applications, all of which are supported by strong external funding. We have around 150 full-time academic staff who drive this research activity and are based in 5 research institutes: the Institute of Chemical Sciences, the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences, the Institute of Mechanical, Process & Energy Engineering, the Institute of Sensors, Signals & Systems and the Institute of Biological Chemistry, BioPhysics & BioEngineering. 

The School of Engineering & Physical Sciences has received the Bronze Award from the Athena SWAN Charter recognising excellence in championing employment of women in the fields of science and technology, engineering and mathematics.  

In addition, we deliver teaching across 6 undergraduate and post-graduate programmes: Chemistry; Physics; Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Brewing & Distilling. 

How to Apply 

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and how you comply to the essential / desired criterial for the post; (2) Full CV.

Applications can be submitted until Tuesday, 14th October 2025.

For further information and an informal discussion about the post, please contact Prof Duncan Hand via email [email protected]

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-alculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.