Assistant Professor (Research) in Non-Thermal Plasma Innovation

Working at Durham University  

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our  Why Join Us? - Information Page

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

The Department 

The Department of Engineering at Durham University is continuing a period of strategic growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join an expanding, unified Engineering Department which is recognised as one of the very best in the UK, with a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our graduates. The University is in the QS Top 100, and the Department itself is ranked 6th in both the 2025 Times and Guardian tables and 4th in the Complete University Guide 2025. In the REF2021 exercise, 95% of our Engineering outputs were graded 3* or 4*, and the Department is committed to an ethos of research-led and industrially-relevant education at all levels of our taught programmes.  We are a scholarly community that is open, representative and diverse: our commitment to this is expressed through work of the Department’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group, and our Athena Swan Silver award.

The Department of Engineering demonstrates significant depth of research excellence across a range of disciplines, with activities that are currently concentrated thematically around eight Research Nodes which group together our day-to-day activities and expertise. We are particularly proud of the collaborative interdisciplinary nature of our research, which also includes strong industrial partnerships.

Professor Tony Roskilly leads a large Energy Systems Group in the Department of Engineering which includes academic, post-doctoral research staff, administration and technical personnel. The group has a successful track record of attracting funding, primarily from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, EU and industry. Professor Roskilly is a Co-Director of Durham Energy Institute and the Chair of Energy Systems in the Department of Engineering.

The Department of Engineering at Durham University seeks to appoint an Assistant Professor (Research) in Non-Thermal Plasma Innovation and would welcome applications from those with experience and expertise in research, design and development in this field.  The successful candidate will be part of a team which is aiming to revolutionises wastewater sludge management through innovative combination of leading-edge processes to convert biosolids into liquid fuels, biochar and carbon materials. The advanced system will provide a transformative approach to generating value from waste in the water industry.  They will be line-managed by Professor Tony Roskilly, but will be an independent researcher and expected to carry out high quality work closely with academic colleagues and industrial partners.  This post offers an exciting opportunity to make an important contribution to the development of the Department of Engineering’s research while allowing you excellent opportunities to develop your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

For more information, please visit our Department pages at www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/engineering .

Assistant Professors (Research) at Durham

Assistant Professors (Research) are encouraged to focus on research but are also expected to engage in wider citizenship to enhance their own development, support their department and discipline, and contribute to the wider student experience. 

Academic colleagues are supported to publish excellent research in their area of interest with a focus on high quality outputs (including monographs and journal articles), rather than quantity.  We aim to support your research needs, including practical help such as resources to attend conferences and to fund research activities, as well as a generous research leave policy and a designated mentor.  

Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field of non-thermal plasma technology research, design and development, with the ability to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University. 

We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.  Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities:  

•  Pursue research that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour, commensurate with the Department’s continuing emphasis on international excellence; 
• To be developing clear plans for the pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement;
•  Contribute to enhancing the quality of the research environment in the Department, the wider University and beyond through collaborative research activity; 
•  Demonstrate a willingness to take contribute to the administrative work, citizenship and values of the Department; 
• To fully engage in and enhance the values of the Department;
•   To contribute to attracting and supervising research students, and to enhance the Department’s commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture.
•  Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of Department.
•  To carry out such other duties as specified by Professor Roskilly.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion 

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.  It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Person Specification  

Candidates applying for a grade 8 post must meet all of the essential criteria. 

Research  

Candidates must have the capacity for and be progressing towards the independent development of internationally excellent research that produces high-quality outcomes, including some work that is recognised as world-class or that has world-class potential.   

Essential Research Criteria

1.      Qualifications - a good Masters degree and a PhD in Chemical Engineering. 

2.      Extensive experience of Postdoctoral research in non-thermal plasma catalytic reactor research, design and development to reform syngas, including plasma chemistry, reactor and CFD modelling.

3.      Extensive experience in the design, synthesis, characterisation, and testing of plasma catalysts.

4.      Experience of managing research undertaken with industrial partners.

5.      Experience of presenting research outcomes to a wide range of stakeholders.

6.      Evidence of high-quality research papers, some of which is recognised as world-class.  Candidates are asked to submit four research papers with their application (as outlined in the How to Apply section below).  Candidates may additionally choose to submit evidence such as external peer review of their outputs.  

7.      Research Impact – evidence of the impact of research that the candidate has been involved with beyond the candidate’s institution.

8.      Personal Research Plan - evidence of a personal research plan which supports and enhances the Department of Engineering’s research strategy (max 2 pages).

Service, Citizenship and Values 

This post is focused on research with industry partners, but candidates will be expected to actively engage in the administrative requirements of the Department, notably related to their research, and/or the research and research environment of the department.

Candidates must positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating their commitment to equality diversity and inclusion.

Essential Services, Citizenship and Values criteria

9.      Citizenship contribution – evidence of participation in the citizenship / administrative activities of an academic Department, Faculty or University.  (Candidates may choose to evidence departmental or University roles, mentoring activity, pastoral and academic support of students, engagement with widening participation, involvement in equality and diversity initiatives and membership or engagement with external bodies).  

10. Communication - candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.  

Desirable Criteria

The desirable criteria for this post (for which candidates should provide evidence of some if not all criteria) are:

A.     Income generation - engagement in the development of successful research project proposals.

B.     PhD supervision - involvement in the provision of excellent supervision for PhD students.

C.    Research Leadership - contribution to the leadership of research groups and the mentoring of early career researchers.  Candidates may choose to include information about research group leadership, mentoring of research colleagues, invitations to and engagement with external events, and/or involvement with international networks or projects.

D.    Leadership - engagement in activities that contribute to the administrative functioning of the candidate’s academic department and/or discipline including any leadership or other responsibilities in an academic/research context.

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Tony Roskilly (anthony.p.roskilly@durham.ac.uk ) or the Head of Department, Professor Charles Augarde (charles.augarde@durham.ac.uk ).  All enquiries will be treated in strictest confidence. 

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk . 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). 

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

How to Apply  

We prefer to receive applications online. 

Please note that in submitting your application, we will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk .  

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

·         A CV (maximum 4 pages and 10 most recent publications)

·         A covering letter which details how your experience, strengths and potential fit the essential and desired criteria for the position set out above (maximum 4 pages with explicit examples)

·         Personal research plan. 

·         Four of your most significant research publications, where possible published since January 2021. 

Where possible we request that you provide accessible web links to your publications, which the hiring Department will use to access your work.  The application form contains fields in which to enter each of the web links.

Please note we are unable to access publications behind a paywall.   

In the event you are unable to provide accessible links to online hosting of your work, publications should be uploaded as PDFs as part of your application in our recruitment system.

Please ensure that your PDFs are not larger than 5mb. Your work may be read by colleagues from across the Department and evaluated against the current REF criteria. 

All application documents should be uploaded with your name and document type as PDF files.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.  

Referees 

You should provide 3 academic referees they should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s).  The majority should be from a University other than your own (save for early career applicants applying for their first post). 

References will be requested for candidates who have been shortlisted and will be made available to the panel during the interview process.

As part of your application, you will be asked whether you give your consent to your academic references being sought should you be invited to attend an interview.  We will only request references where permission has been granted.  

Next Steps 

All applications will be considered; our usual practice is for colleagues across the Department to read the submitted work of long-listed candidates.   

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the project.  The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation followed by an interview, around week commencing 8 September 2025. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Applicant Guidance  

For further guidance on your application please see HERE