University Fellows 2023

Acoustics research with the School of Science, Engineering and Environment, has been carried out at the University for over 60 years. The Acoustics Research Centre, led by Prof. Trevor Cox, is focussing new activity around two broad areas: (1) Acoustics for Health, Well-Being, and Accessibility and (2) Acoustics for Industry. For (1) this includes improving hearing aids through machine learning; understanding the effect of noise on health and well-being; or designing audio systems for better accessibility. For (2), we work across diverse sectors including space, defence, construction, consumer products, automotive and materials. In our research we develop new simulation and signal processing methods as well as novel measurement techniques. An important part of our research is understanding how humans and other animals respond to sound through psychoacoustic and physiological measurement. This might be to examine the effect of noise on biodiversity, or to make products better by placing perception at the heart of engineering design. The Centre seeks applications from candidates who have the skills and vision to contribute to the development of research in one or both areas.  

The Centre’s research is funded by research councils, national and international government bodies, and industry. This has fed into products that companies make and sell worldwide, as well as regulations and standards used in the UK, Europe and internationally. We currently have about twenty research active staff, with a strong collaborative work ethic. Many of us have won numerous awards for our work. We have world-class acoustics laboratories: listening rooms, reverberation rooms, anechoic chambers, an accredited calibration laboratory and state of the art equipment and instrumentation. Through the laboratories we are able to bring much of our fundamental research into real life applications. 

You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work in the School of Science Engineering and Environment (SSEE), at the interfaces of physics, engineering, and chemistry. This is a strong and growing research group within SSEE, leading the University’s work in material sciences.

We seek applications from candidates with specific expertise in an area related to the low carbon energy transition. Specific areas include (but are not restricted to):

• Materials for Photovoltaic Systems
• Materials and Devices for Low Loss Electronics
• Materials for Hydrogen conversion and utilisation
• Thermoelectric and Caloric Energy Conversion Materials

The successful candidate’s research profile will have a synergy with existing research within the Materials and Physics Research Group (PRG), and within other physical science research programmes. There will also be the opportunity to work with other research groups (such as robotics, and civil engineering) on translation of your research from theory into practice. Current research within the PRG includes experimental and theoretical studies of materials, including energy storage and conversion materials, optical materials and nanotechnology. 

Experimental characterisation facilities available to the Fellow include electron microscopes (SEM and TEM), X-Ray diffraction, Raman, IR spectroscopy and femtosecond pump probe spectroscopy. In addition, a variety of thin film deposition techniques are used including CVD, sputtering and evaporation.

The group’s current profile of activities includes the deposition and characterisation of thin film devices including solar cells, the characterisation of photonic devices, the development of novel quantum technologies and the characterisation of materials under extreme conditions.

As a University Fellow in Affective Science, you will develop a programme of research related to environmental influences on health and wellbeing. You will be jointly based between the Directorate of Psychology within the School of Health and Society, and the School of Science, Engineering and Environment, and aligned with the Centre for Applied Health Research, the Social Prescribing Hub, the Salford Care and Urban Farm Hub and the Cognition Research Group. You will join a successful, multidisciplinary team with a proven track record of securing prestigious funding from UKRI, Horizon Europe, Wellcome Trust, British Science Association, Leverhulme Trust, and British Psychological Society, in addition to the submission of 3*/4* REF2021 impact case studies. You will be mentored by leading researchers Prof. Michael Hardman and Dr Robert Bendall, with further support provided from the wider team including Dr Samantha Gregory and Dr Michael Lomas. Adopting innovative digital techniques including ecological momentary assessment and geolocation tracking, alongside a demonstrable commitment to open and reproducible science practices, your research will progress our understanding regarding the role that nature plays in improving mental health, leading to more effective targeted intervention. An important aspect of this will be understanding the cognitive mechanisms underpinning the benefits found. While it is believed that being in nature improves our mental wellbeing, including benefitting memory, attention, decision making and mood, we do not understand the cognitive mechanisms that underpin this. Yet, understanding these mechanisms will allow evidence-based targeted interventions for individuals experiencing difficulties in their mental and cognitive health, across the lifespan, and across health-related needs.

You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work in the School of Science Engineering and Environment, at the interfaces of biomedicine, physiology, and chemistry. The Cardiovascular Research Unit (CVRU) is a strong and growing research group within SSEE, leading the University’s work on heart-related diseases.

Cardiovascular (CV) diseases dominate global mortality. Even though behavioural factors are known to contribute there is often no clear aetiology in CV morbidity. Therefore better understanding and (ultimately) treatments is crucial. You will join a unit with cutting-edge imaging and electrophysiology equipment, enabling the development and translation of class-leading techniques to enable better understanding of the cellular basis of cardiovascular disease. We have a broad portfolio of institutional partners (including British Heart Foundation, the Physiological Society, the Royal Society) alongside commercial partners who fund our research; a key focus of our research is rapid translation into clinical contexts, as both tools (for instance, in imaging) and treatments (such as modified cardiac glycosides).

You should have a track record in cardiovascular research and/or related and underpinning science areas (such as drug discovery/medicinal chemistry, imaging technology, or CV-relevant computational analysis); you must be committed to working closely with our world-leading experts in cardiac and vascular physiology, but also enthusiastic about developing multi-disciplinary research programmes with our chemical, biological and physical science researchers. You will work alongside internationally leading scientists as mentors, including Dr Sarah Withers and Dr David Greensmith, and the broader CVRU team to develop your independent research portfolio. You will have a thirst for continual personal development, a passion for delivering research achievements with real-world impact, and a drive to educate and train interdisciplinary scientists of the future.

The School of Health and Society are looking to recruit an experienced clinical biomechanist to undertake research within the Centre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation. You will work alongside, and be mentored by, leading established researchers, Prof. Richard Jones, Prof. Steve Preece Dr Lee Herrington, Dr Carina Price and Dr Dan Parker. You will secure research funding and deliver world-leading clinical biomechanics research in an area which is aligned with knee biomechanics/injury, foot health, diabetes or digital health in biomechanics. Our current research portfolio includes work which is focused on developing new treatments for people with lower limb pain, such a biofeedback intervention and the use of footwear/insoles for the management of knee osteoarthritis. Other projects seek to explore biomechanical function in the lower limb in disease and sport and also to explore a range of themes related to foot health. We also have projects which are focused on  integration of digital health into the assessment of the foot in diabetes and this work is typically delivered through collaboration with industry partners.  Over recent years, we have attracted funding from various prestigious sources such as Versus Arthritis, EPSRC, NIHR, Great Foundations and Scholl. We also have strong collaborations with national and international experts, policy makers and local clinical groups ensuring that our research delivers real-world impact to people who suffer with foot and lower limb health disorders. Candidates will have a strong track record in biomechanics and expertise in experimental methods. We are particularly interested to receive applications from researchers with an Allied Health Professional background.

We are seeking applications from candidates to develop a programme of work in the area of complex systems within the THINKLab and the newly formed Research Centre for Resilient and Smart Cities, in the School of Science, Engineering and Environment.  You will be expected to conduct ‘frontier’ research to understand the complex interactions between social, economic, physical and natural sub-systems to create future cities which are resilient.  The complexity modelling framework that will result from your research programme should offer an innovative knowledge platform for policymakers to explore “what-if” scenarios and select urban policies that lead to sustainable and resilient cities. 

THINKlab and the Centre for Resilient and Smart Cities lead research in the area of advanced modelling, simulation and visualisation technologies for city applications. Our work is funded by EPSRC/GCRF (www.mobilise-project.org.uk), ESRC/GCRF (www.transcend-project.org.uk), Horizon2020 (www.renozeb.eu), World Bank and the UK Government. Due to these national and international projects, our centres have well-established connections with a broad range of academic partners, government organisations and policymakers in the Global South, EU and the UK.  

You will work alongside Prof. Terrence Fernando and the members of the Centre for Resilient and Smart Cities, within the broad field of complex systems, but drawing contributions from a range of different fields, such as computer science (AI, data science), information systems, social science, economics, psychology and environmental science. This is an opportunity for a computer scientist with a strong modelling background to investigate the implementation of an innovative policy modelling platform for creating resilient and sustainable environments.  

The School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology is seeking to appoint a dynamic Fellow to join its high quality Creative Technologies academic and research team whose work spans the fields of Culture, Communication and Media, Film, Music, and Performance.

Creative technologies is a broadly defined multi- and interdisciplinary field addressing the impact of new technologies of communication. It uses critical and cultural theoretical approaches and/or practice-led methods to explore cultural and creative impacts of technologies in augmented and virtual reality, gaming, film, music, and podcasting, through to critical analysis of online media systems.

We're seeking applications from scholars deploying traditional academic research methods and/or those engaged with deploying technologies innovatively through practice-as-research. Given the importance of issues such as age, class, gender, race and power in this field, we encourage applications from those whose research goals and life experiences speak to many of the concerns raised in the programme of research to be conducted by the Fellow. Applications should demonstrate ability to develop or complement one or more of the following existing areas:

• Conceptual developments and applications of immersive and real-time technologies in educational and serious gaming, interactive simulations and/or virtual production.
• Immersive audio in music recording; spatialised audio in film.
• Truth, accuracy, authenticity and trust in technologised communication and media environments, including characteristics and consequences of (re-) presentations of the self in online media environments.

The School of Health and Society are seeking applications from candidates to develop a programme of work in focused on vulnerable people in the criminal justice system.  You will be joining a Criminal Justice Hub team with a strong track record of excellent research projects and publications that make a difference to policy and practice, finding solutions to challenging issues and supporting desistance. 

Our strong commitment to influencing reform in the criminal justice system is reflected in the recent rating of the impact of our research as “world-leading/internationally-excellent” (REF2021). Our recent work has been funded by The Nuffield Foundation, Dawes Trust, the NHS, the Youth Justice Board, and the Big Lottery Fund. You will work alongside Prof. Neal Hazel, with Prof. Muzammil Quraishi and the Criminal Justice Hub team, within our thriving Centre for Research in Inclusive Society and the Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology subject group.  As well as benefiting from our excellent links with Criminal Justice Partners, you will be encouraged to engage with our researchers’ international collaborations, which have seen us advise governments on prison reform, and write collaboratively with colleagues globally. 

The focus of your applied research could be within or across different elements of the criminal justice system (including policing, courts, prisons, probation, youth justice, and broader desistance support).  Possible vulnerable groups on whose experiences your research could focus include children and young adults; parents in prison; those with care experience; and groups with protected characteristics (including gender, religion, and race).

The School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology is seeking up to two experienced design researchers to expand its internationally-recognised research in transdisciplinary, human-centred design innovation.  

The Design Against Crime Solution Centre has delivered collaborative research across Europe since 2005, coordinating the recent EU Horizon2020 Cutting Crime Impact (CCI) project and currently delivering the EU-funded IcARUS project on innovative approaches to urban security. The Centre's design research has real-world, practical impact, such as the award-winning ProtectED initiative, which in 2018 was spun out as a Community Interest Company.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic team of accomplished researchers, including Prof Caroline Davey, delivering high-impact research across Europe in collaboration with other academic disciplines, public and private sector end-users and policymakers.

Successful candidates will have research and practical experience in a design discipline such as product design; service design; system design; or communications design. They will be naturally curious and a critical thinker, able to work well in a team and communicate effectively with practitioner partners in the private and public sectors. Both intuitive and analytical, they will have a strong aesthetic sense, be practically-minded — being business- and tech-savvy — and be someone committed to delivering impact. If you aspire to advance the field of design innovation through critical inquiry and practical impact, please apply.

The School of Health and Society is seeking applications in the area of digital health.

Digital transformation of health remains a priority for UK policy and strategy and provides opportunities for different ways of working, inclusivity and reducing health inequalities. Applicants to this area will have a strong track record in digital health and will be based within the Centre for Applied Health Research with the potential for collaborations across other University Research Centres. Working alongside well-established researchers (Dr Cristina Vasilica, Prof Alison Brettle, Prof Paula Ormandy, Prof Yeliz Prior and Dr Katy Szczepura), you will attract external funding and deliver world-leading research focused on the use of digital technology and long-term conditions.  Your research will build on a strong track record of digital health innovation and long-term conditions at the University of Salford. 

You will join a group of researchers with expertise in long term conditions and digital health who work together to accelerate research and build capacity aligned to the University’s digital and healthy living themes.  The group comprises senior, mid and early career researchers and has attracted funding from a range of national and charitable funders, has generated successful 3*/4* REF2021 impact case studies and has leveraged HEIF monies for research centred around digital health applications for chronic kidney disease, breast cancer, neurology, diabetes, rheumatic diseases and health professional education. You will join this supportive environment to develop your career and further our ambitions and research in relation to digital health and education.  Your research could use digital technologies to enable digital transformation to improve care by educating patients or clinicians. 

The world is facing many new and emerging challenges. How we tackle global warming, developing cities, economies and our ageing population sustainably, requires innovative approaches from government and industry. The Computer Science and Software Engineering team (CSSE), within the School of Science, Engineering and Environment, are experts in working across disciplines to bring these solutions to make a meaningful difference to society, both locally and globally. Primarily working with the Informatics Research group (IRG), you will be joining a team of experts, including Prof Mo Saraee, Prof Julian Bass, Prof Sunil Vadera, Dr Ian Drumm and Prof Apostolos Antonacopoulos, who have developed techniques and systems with wide reaching potential; for example, digitisation of historical documents, medical diagnosis, semantic tagging, segmentation of types of viewers and their behaviours, text mining and retrieval and data visualisation.

You will join the CSSE Team to provide a core expertise in Data Computation to integrate with and advance the science in a range of application-based research projects across the wider school. You will be able to demonstrate a research expertise in an area of Data Processing such as: Data Capture (Computer Vision, Digitalization, Internet of Things, Networking (IoT)), Data Processing and Analysis (High Performance Computing (HPC), Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI)) or Data visualization (Computer Graphics, eXtended Reality (XR)). The successful candidate with bring their expertise to enhance a range of existing research activities in areas including: Acoustics, Biomedical, Environmental, Engineering and Autonomous Systems. 

The School of Health and Society seeks a University Fellow in Digital Social Science, to develop a portfolio of work that is rooted in the social sciences regarding how people experience, or not, digital technologies on an everyday basis.

You will join our thriving Inclusive Society Research Centre and the Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Subject Group.  The inclusive Society Research Centre includes staff who focus up digital social science from a number of perspectives including immersive technologies, digital sociology, digital methods, online relationships, digital leisure, pleasure and health, cryptocurrencies, and diversity online.  Our research environment is inclusive with a commitment to supporting staff at all stages of their research careers and particularly early in their career. The team places significant emphasis upon quality.  Staff were returned in the 2021 REF to submission Unit of assessment 34: Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management where 82% of overall activity was rated as Word Class or Internationally Excellent.  Work in the area of Digital Society was a key feature of this submission.

You will also have an opportunity to develop your academic career by contributing to research-informed teaching in this exciting area. Depending on the exact area that you specialise in, you will be mentored by one of the following leaders in the field: Dr Gaynor Bagnall, Prof Garry Crawford, Dr Nina Held, Prof Ben Light, Dr Joy Probyn, and Dr Tom Redshaw. 

The Salford Business School is looking for applications that align with at one or more of the following areas that will build on our existing activities: digital transformation, business intelligence, fintech and/or business change/improvement.

The School is committed to supporting productive and sustainable change within SMEs across the Greater Manchester region and beyond. This commitment is reflected in research activities that engage with SMEs through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and collaborative partnership working as well as critical engagement with contemporary areas of challenge and opportunity for all businesses.

The Fellow will engage with an already emerging area of research impact described as “Business Improvement through multi-point knowledge exchange” which considers the important contribution that interdisciplinary scholarship brings to business research and engagement.  You will have an opportunity to contribute their own knowledge and skills to a wide range of opportunities and activities. For example, this could involve working through our partnerships with the Peninsula Group and Leigh Means Business. You could support further exploration and development of policy initiatives around entrepreneurial start-ups, hidden entrepreneurs or ‘laterepreneurs’. You could contribute to wider financial change through community finance initiatives, the use of blockchain among SMEs or building better accounting practices for a Net Zero future.

Within the built environment there are significant data sources ranging from smart meter infrastructure and IoT devices, such as thermostats and heating systems within our homes, to national registries, external weather data and increasing volumes of satellite data that can inform decision making and create significant opportunities for individuals, industry, and policy makers. We seek applications from candidates to work within the Smart Meters Smart Homes Lab within Energy House Labs to explore the sources of data, their acquisition and integration to establish use cases which can impact the delivery of a net zero built environment, as well as wider impacts for the sector, such as cost of living and energy security. You should have with a background in computer science, and an understanding of data sources and data integration in an applied context. 

You will have access to the wider lab infrastructure including Energy House 1, Zed House, and Energy House 2.0, to explore research challenges around this new data environment. You work directly with industry partners such as Barratt, Octopus Energy, the Data Communications Company, and Chameleon. You will also work with the wider University linking with computer science, data analytics, AI, and potential use cases within the School of Health and Society (fuel poverty) and the Business School (new business models).  

The work will build on previous work for BEIS, Framework 5 (SEEDS), Framework 7 (BuildHeat), ESIF (IGNITION) and ERDF, as well as a commercial research projects (Persimmon, Schneider Electric, Chameleon). This is an emerging area or the University with a significant potential for growth. You will work with Richard Fitton and the wider Energy House Labs team exploring and applying ideas within possible fields such as energy consumption, net zero, control/ optimisation, although it is recognised that, as an emergent field, there may be wider opportunities.  

The move away from fossil fuels for domestic heating and transport, as highlighted in the UK net zero strategy identifies three main technologies, electrification (heat pumps/ infrared), heat networks and hydrogen. These technologies will be combined with renewables and storage, as well as technologies such as vehicle to grid and home to create a complex series of configurations that are currently not well understood in terms of performance under different conditions. These technologies work very differently from the current incumbent predominately gas heated system in the UK, which has formed the basis of much of the UK’s building performance work. We are seeking applications from candidates who will focus on how this large-scale transition will affect building performance and explore related issues such as innovation, system optimisation, control, integration, relationships with building fabric and impact on the occupant, as well as understanding the international context of this transition. 

You will work as part of the Energy House Labs team and will have access to unique facilities (Energy House 1 and 2.0) where they will be able to conduct whole building tests under repeatable and controlled conditions, creating a unique opportunity for discovery. You will join a team, led by Will Swan, with a strong track record in building performance and significant industry, academic, and policy networks in this area. You will connect with significant existing work on building performance in new and retrofit buildings to support the development of an internationally leading team in this space. 

Candidates need a good understanding of energy systems and experience of monitoring and controlling technologies such as air source heat pumps, heat exchangers, batteries, and electric vehicles. 

The School of Health and Society are seeking applications from social scientists who can develop work on energy and sustainability as sociological issues and dimensions of social policy. 

You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work in the School at the interface of energy, sustainability and social justice. The Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit (SHUSU) leads the University’s work on energy social science, with strong connections with other parts of the University, including Geography and Energy House Laboratories, and with national and international networks of academics and policymakers. The research environment reflects a commitment to high-quality research that is both academically rigorous and policy relevant. Our work has been funded by Horizon 2020, European Social Fund, Citizens Advice and Eaga Charitable Trust.

In this Fellowship role, you will work alongside Dr Graeme Sherriff and the SHUSU team within the broad field of energy social science, bringing sociological experience and expertise to bear on the human side of energy transitions and connecting with social policy to explore contemporary challenges. Possible foci for your research could include energy poverty in the context of the cost of living crisis; householder decision-making around, and experiences of home retrofit; the adoption of smart technologies and their impact upon energy practices; health and wellbeing impacts of energy-related issues in the home; the relationship between decarbonisation, climate change, and energy poverty. We're looking for candidates with general knowledge of, and willingness to connect with, the technical, architectural and spatial challenges relating to housing and energy.

You will join the Environmental Research & Innovation Centre (ERIC) in the School of Science, Engineering and Environment and develop a programme of research aligned with our current and emerging areas of pollution research excellence. Working with our international networks of research collaborators, policy makers and industry, we deliver the underpinning science to understand how pollutants (e.g. radiation, chemicals, noise) impact humans and wildlife and we develop the tools that society requires for assessing and mitigating these impacts. 

Funded from diverse sources (including UKRI, HORIZON 2020, Government Agencies, NATO and industry), our research delivers significant impact beyond academia. For example, our environmental radioactivity research has played a pivotal role in environmental radiation protection internationally and our contaminant transfer research in rice cultivation areas is laying the foundations for public health responses. We also have a significant research portfolio studying noise impacts on wildlife. 

You will work alongside Prof Mike Wood and the ERIC Team to grow our pollution research. Possible foci include: contaminant transfer in human food production systems; noise impact assessment for wildlife; multi-stressors exposures; assessment and mitigation of PFAS impacts; environmental radioactivity impacts on wildlife; and Adverse Outcome Pathways for use in pollution risk assessment. 

This University Fellowship presents a unique opportunity to work alongside leading pollution researchers, to integrate into their international networks and to benefit from access to facilities such as Salford’s dedicated environmental research laboratories, THINKlab and acoustics laboratories. Alongside a demonstrable track record in relevant research, the successful candidate will thrive on working in a dynamic, interdisciplinary research environment. 

The School of Health and Society are seeking a University Fellow in Future Health Technologies. You will be part of the Centre for Applied Health Research, identifying areas of opportunity within the field of health technology, and will work alongside Dr Katy Szczepura and Prof Louise Ackers. This is a broad area of research that could support many ongoing themes within the centre depending on your research interests. Medical imaging is currently leading the field in artificial intelligence for healthcare, new technology is constantly being developed and introduced, yet radiography staff report difficulties with these fast introductions, with a lack of appropriate support and preliminary involvement sited as a significant factor.

Working with industrial leaders such as GEHealth, optimisation of the imaging chain from acquisition to AI, big data and robotics applications is a priority area, ensuring the workforce is technically fluent for the implementation of future technologies. Significant work has been developed to use novel imaging technologies to support healthcare in low to middle income countries in cervical screening. Artificial intelligence and novel handheld diagnostic devices are being developed and evaluated for use in lower/middle income countries to aid early detection and diagnosis. Engagement with industry and charities has led to significant impact from this work. The research will lead to co-creation of research-led education at all levels, across many disciplines, both locally and globally, identifying key areas of development needs in policy and practice. You will have a strong track record research related to health technologies, and will develop an innovative proposal on one of the following topics: 1. Technical fluency in the medical imaging workforce; or 2. The use of novel technologies in lower/middle income countries.

You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work around inclusion health within the School of Health and Society. This is a new and major area of focus area of development for the University, following increased recognition nationally and internationally of health inequities illuminated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The work on inclusion health is located within the Health Equity and Health Inequalities theme area which straddles both the Centre for Applied Health Research and Inclusive Society Research Centre. This theme leads work around issues of health access and experiences of a variety of vulnerable groups and communities who live with health inequities. Current programmes of work include; access to healthcare and out of hospital discharge for people who are homeless, health access for Gypsy, Roma, Travellers, and people who live with mental illness. Our work has been funded by Department of Health and Social Care, Burdett Trust and the Arts and Humanities Research Council and we are also working with the European World Health Organisation around services for young people living with mental illness. You will have the opportunity to work with us on cultivating a multi-agency inclusion health Northern Hub and potential areas of foci within socially excluded groups include assessment and management of frailty in marginalised groups, seamless management of chronic healthcare across different care settings or impact of integrated care in addressing health inequity. However, there is scope for other project areas within the inclusion health remit. You will work within an incredibly supportive team led by Professor Vanessa Heaslip and Professor Michelle Cornes who are both leaders in the field of health and social exclusion. You should have a good knowledge of health, heath inequity, discrimination and marginalisation of diverse groups and communities, but most importantly, you must be passionate and committed to ensuring health for all. 

You will have the opportunity to join one of the strongest research areas of the University, the internationally renowned Infection, AMR (antimicrobial resistance)and Future Treatments grouping in the School of Science, Engineering and Environment (SSEE), to develop an innovative and impactful programme of work at the interface of microbiology, advanced technologies, and novel therapeutics.

The UK’s Chief Medical Officer has described AMR as a greater threat to global safety than terrorisms. The combination of emerging diseases without effective treatments, increased resistance to current therapies, lack of industrial research into new treatments and global mobility makes the challenge of dealing with AMR and future infective agents unique and unprecedented. The scale of the scientific and societal challenge demands multi-disciplinarity to prevent disease, improve diagnoses and treatment, and reduce the long-term consequences. This role will enable a talented multi-disciplinary scientist to make distinct and novel contributions to our research, alongside our pool of collaborative partners in industry and health sector.

You should have training to at least PhD level, or a recognised track record in microbiology research and/or related and underpinning science areas (such as drug discovery/medicinal chemistry, sequencing technologies, imaging technology, or relevant computational analysis); you must be committed to working closely with our world-leading experts in microbiology and infectious disease, but also passionate about developing multi-disciplinary research programmes with our chemical, biological and physical science researchers. You will work alongside internationally leading scientists as mentors including Prof Richard Birtles, Prof Chloe James and Prof Ian Goodhead, and the broader team in the development of your independent research portfolio. You will have a thirst for continual personal development, a passion for delivering research achievements with real-world impact, and a drive to educate and train interdisciplinary scientists of the future.

You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work in the School of Science Engineering and Environment (SSEE), and as part of the Salford Institute for Dementia and Ageing. The neuroscience research group is a strong and growing unit within SSEE, bringing together a multi-disciplinary team to develop meaningful solutions to increasingly important healthcare challenges for an ageing global community.

Dementia is the major cause of death in the UK: on average 11.25% of deaths in England and Wales were due to dementia in 2022 (cf. 3.3% due to COVID-19). Yet not only are there virtually no clinical treatments for dementia and related neurological conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and there is also very little understanding of how the diseases are caused. The development of innovative scientific methods to establish mode of action, thereby facilitating the production of effective medicines is therefore a key global challenge; we now seek a talented and committed University Fellow to complement and strengthen our capabilities in this area.

You should have a track record in neurochemistry and/or neurobiology, with knowledge of related and underpinning science areas (such as drug discovery/medicinal chemistry, imaging technology, or neurologically relevant computational analysis); you must be committed not only to working directly with our world-leading experts in neurobiology and medicinal chemistry, but also enthusiastic about developing multi-disciplinary research programmes with our other chemical, biological and physical science researchers. You will work alongside internationally leading scientists as mentors, and the broader network in the development of your independent research portfolio. You will have a thirst for continual personal development, a passion for delivering research achievements with real-world impact, and a drive to educate and train interdisciplinary scientists of the future.

The School of Health and Society are seeking applications from candidates to join a well-established research strength in neurodiversity research within the Centre for Applied Health Research. You will join a high performing team with a track record of funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Horizon Europe, Medical Research Council and various charities, as well as from Innovate UK and for work with industry partners including the BBC. You will be mentored by leading researchers in this area, Prof Penny Cook, Dr Gemma Taylor and Prof Clare Allely. We are the UK’s most successful team for research into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a condition caused by alcohol consumption in pregnancy which affects child development, with a focus on interventions to support persons affected by FASD.  Within the autism spectrum disorder and the criminal justice research theme, our research portfolio seeks to understand how certain features of autism may provide the context of vulnerability to engaging in a range of offending behaviours (e.g., terroristic behaviours; sexual offending; homicide; cybercrime) and issues with current risk assessments for individuals with autism. Building on our strength in child development research, we are currently investigating the potential benefits of digital media for development of typically developing children and children with autism or FASD. You will have a strong track record in neurodiversity-related research, and will develop an innovative proposal on one of the following topics: 1. The impact of digital media use for neurodiverse children; 2. How certain features of autism and/or FASD provide the context of vulnerability in engaging in a wide range of offending behaviours; or 3. Interventions to improve the experience of individuals with FASD and/or autism in the criminal justice system. 

Applications are invited to join the School of Health and Society to develop a programme of work as part of the Measurement of Physical Behaviour theme, which sits within the Centre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation. The theme aims to promote and facilitate the study of objective measurement and quantification of free-living physical behaviours and related constructs. Working alongside Dr Alex Clarke-Cornwell (Reader in Public Health Epidemiology) and Prof Malcolm Granat (Professor in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences), you will deliver world-leading research and attract funding across areas related to the measurement of physical behaviour. The focus could be on developing analysis techniques for the quantification of free-living physical behaviours, evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, or investigating how physical behaviours affect our health. We have a strong research profile in the measurement of physical behaviour, and have attracted funding from NIHR, EPSRC, and the UKRI. Our current research includes a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce sitting time in office workers, which has recently been published in the BMJ, the contribution of physical activity to commuting, and the development of event-based analysis techniques for the quantification of free-living physical behaviours. Malcolm Granat also leads the £5.8 million funded EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics. We collaborate with national and international experts, local stakeholders, and clinical groups to support this work, including the International Society for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour and the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium. 

The School of Health and Society are seeking candidates with a strong background in biomedical- or mechanical- engineering to join our thriving and friendly research group. We focus on the design and development of new rehabilitation technologies aimed at assisting functional movement, together with novel methods for their evaluation.  Our research is supported by grants from NIHR, EPSRC, MRC and Innovate UK, and includes a novel device to improve the control of upper limb prostheses, more effective upper limb functional electrical stimulation systems to support post-stroke rehabilitation, the design of adjustable prosthetic sockets which may be easier to fit and more comfortable for the user, and the design of demonstrably safer walking aids. Our group has spun out a new company (BetRMedical) and produced patented designs. Granat also leads the £5.8 million EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics.  In collaboration with Biomedical Engineers and clinical teams in Uganda, we are developing novel upper limb prosthetic devices, and strengthening local prosthetics services (with Prof Louise Ackers). We see the work at the intersection of rehabilitation technologies and global health as a key future area for our group, addressing the challenges identified in a recent landmark WHO report.  An emerging focus is on how to deliver innovations in rehabilitation technologies while minimising the associated carbon footprint. You will be mentored by leading researchers Professors Laurence Kenney, David Howard, Malcolm Granat, and Dr Sibylle Thies, as well as clinical experts from our Prosthetics and Orthotics team.  You will have access to a wide range of facilities including movement analysis labs, a new additive manufacturing lab, clinical prosthetics and orthotics workshops, as well as (virtual) links with a new rehabilitation centre in Fort Portal, Uganda.

The School of Health and Society are seeking applications for a University Fellow in Social Policy: Work, Welfare and Wellbeing. The Fellow will work alongside Dr Daiga Kamerade and Prof Lisa Scullion in the Inclusive Society Research Centre and Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology Subject Group, which has well-established research excellence in welfare, employment, unemployment and underemployment, social inclusion and wellbeing. The research environment is characterised by a commitment to cutting edge policy relevant research that leads to real world impact, co-produced with service users, professionals, and practitioners at international, national and local levels. Our current research portfolio includes projects focusing on underemployment, disability and voluntary work, the four-day working week, social security policy and practice and poverty. Our work has been funded by a range of funders including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Forces in Mind Trust, and various local authorities and third sector organisations. The Subject Group has made a sustained and significant contribution to REF, with the Unit of Assessment Social Policy and Social Work rated as 3* in REF2021, and case studies rated as 4* in REF2021 and REF2014. The Fellow will also have an opportunity to develop their academic career by contributing to research-informed teaching in this area. 

With 9.7 billion people on the planet by 2050 and some 70% of this population due to be living in cities by this date, there is an urgent need for radical action around urban sustainability. You will have the opportunity to develop a programme of work in the Environmental Research Innovation Centre (ERIC), based in the School of Science, Engineering & Environment (SEE), which focusses on creative solutions to addressing sustainability within the urban context; focussing particularly on ways to upscale food production within the cityscape. ERIC brings together an array of ecologists, geographers and environmental scientists, alongside an extensive network of national and international partners. Our work has been funded by Horizon2020, UKRI, Wellcome Trust and a host of other organisations, including industrial partners to international funders, such as the South African National Research Foundation.

You will work with Prof Michael Hardman and the ERIC team, alongside the wider University through interdisciplinary units, such as the Salford Care and Urban Farm Hub. The team currently conduct work across the globe, from Africa to North America and beyond, including with the UK’s largest urban farm ‘Northern Roots’. Possible areas for work include models for upscaling urban farming solutions; informal approaches to food production in cities, such as guerrilla gardening; smart approaches to urban agriculture; health and wellbeing impacts of urban farming; tools to enable urban agriculture at scale and more. We particularly encourage applications from interdisciplinary researchers, particularly those who have a grounding in both qualitative and quantitative methods. 

You will join the Civil Engineering Subject group in the School of Science, Engineering and Environment to explore new research into future transportation planning, engineering, technologies and network development. You will be expected to have a background in Civil Engineering, although it is desirable to have further expertise such as: Transportation networks, Environmental Engineering, Future Construction Materials, Methods of Construction or Smart Cities and their Architecture.

Although based in Civil Engineering, you will integrate with projects across the school. These may include projects based in: Autonomous Vehicles and Systems, Engineering and Materials Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Data visualization.

You will work alongside internationally leading scientists as mentors including Jonathan Haynes, Theo Theodoridis and Mo Saraee, and the broader network in the development of your independent research portfolio.