New Functional Polymers to enable Re-Use & Recycling

In order to achieve a more sustainable future and improve environmental outcomes, the recycling and re-use of materials are becoming ever more important. A major pitfall in current high-performance polymers is the inability to reprocess and re-use crosslinked material networks after their useful service life. The PhD project will investigate new polymers with functional groups forming dynamic covalent bonds. This will involve the implementation of various organic functional group transformations and polymerisations in order to synthesise and characterise the properties of new monomers, (pre)polymers, and crosslinked polymer networks.
We are seeking a talented, highly motivated scientist with a passion for organic synthesis/polymer chemistry and sustainability to join the research team of an EPSRC Manufacturing Fellow at the University of Sheffield. While we are a relatively new academic group, we aim to capitalise on 25 years of industrial experience in order to perform high quality science on materials that are both commercially viable and have a positive impact on society. The team is a diverse, ambitious group of polymer chemists and material scientists that is actively growing.

The Department and the University have a plethora of facilities available, allowing the successful candidate to gain experience in a wide range of experimental and analytical techniques. The project gives the successful candidate the chance to work on fundamental science with industrial relevance where they will learn skills appropriate for a future career in academia or industry. They will be involved in collaborations across the University and could have the opportunity of interaction with industrial partners as their PhD develops.

• All applicants should provide: a CV with 2 references including a covering letter (maximum 1 side of A4) outlining their motivation, skills and experience; a presentation on their current research (2 slides) and a paper of interest to themselves (1 slide).