Postdoctoral Research Associate in organofluorine chemistry

This role is for a Post Doctoral Research Associate who will be working in the Brittain Group within the Department of Chemistry at Durham University. The post is available for 3 years, with a 1-year probationary period with the successful candidate ideally starting no later than March 2026.

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

The Role and Department

The Department of Chemistry at Durham is well equipped, with state-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities, and is located a 10-minute walk away from Durham City centre. 96% of our research outputs were rated world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021 and we ranked 1 st for impact in REF 2014. The Department is research focused and has a dynamic, friendly and international environment that you will benefit from as a PDRA. The Chemistry Department holds a Silver Athena Swan Award demonstrating our commitment to EDI. The Department and Research Group champions increasing diversity and thus applications from individuals from under-represented groups are encouraged.

The Brittain Research Group within the Department of Chemistry specialises in synthetic chemistry with a focus on organofluorine chemistry. Durham has a long running history spanning more than 50 years in fluorine chemistry. The research group specialises in the development of industrially relevant reactions and works with stakeholders across economic sectors to translate our research. As a PDRA in the group you will benefit from a newly refurbished laboratory (£20M investment) as well as unique elemental fluorine facilities. You will be supported by leading analytical services including NMR, MS, XRD and chromatography overseen by dedicated expert staff. You will also have access to mechanical, electrical and glassblowing workshops as well as the Universities supercomputer, Hamilton.

The Role

This role is for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in organofluorine chemistry with an emphasis on the development of new fluorination reactions using elemental fluorine (F 2 ). This role is funded through a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship as part of a larger fellowship. This project will study the ability of elemental fluorine to selectively fluorinate organic molecules of interest to decrease the cost and increase the scalability of critical fluorination reactions. The project will develop the unique F 2 handling facility present at Durham and employ it in collaboration with industrial stakeholders to investigate the utility of F 2 as an electrophilic fluorinating reagent.

The successful applicant will be expected to work with the PI to develop the F 2 handling facility, explore substrate activation modes alongside probing the regio- and stereoselectivity of fluorination reactions using F 2 . They will be expected to interact with both academic and industrial partners to discuss research progress in the forms of oral and written reports as well as dissemination of results through publications in specialised and general chemistry journals. They will work alongside the current members of the Brittain group with opportunities to mentor and train junior group members. The candidate will be supported directly by the PI who will be on-hand to help the candidate deliver the technical aspects of the project as well as bespoke personal and career development support. They will benefit from taking part in regular group meetings, the departmental seminar schedule and engage with scientists from across industry and academia. Tailored mentoring will be provided by the PI, research group, the Department as well as Durham University (e.g. Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD), Durham Careers & Enterprise Hub).

Key responsibilities:

• To plan and manage your research activity effectively and with minimal input from the PI, share research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the ideation and planning of research projects.
• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.

• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.

This post is fixed term for 3 years with a probationary period of 1 year. The fixed nature of this role is due to the fixed nature of the funding.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by no later than March 2026.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You'll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.

• We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).

• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.

• We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.

• We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

• Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.

• Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.

• Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.

• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

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.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries

Dr William Brittain - william.d.brittain@durham.ac.uk

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

e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about 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 make sure you have not missed any of our updates. Applications sent directly to the PI will be disregarded Applications sent directly to the PI will be disregarded.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

• a CV (maximum five A4 pages). In the CV, please indicate all dates with month and year, and explain any career breaks.
• A cover letter (maximum two A4 pages), which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above. In the cover letter, please also indicate what motivated to apply for this position.
• Contact details of 3 referees, one of which must be your PhD supervisor.
• Additional unrequested application documents should NOT be included (research summaries, theses, papers), as they may result in your application being disregarded.

Next Steps

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 Department. The assessment for the post will normally include a short (15 min) presentation followed by technical questions and an interview with a recruitment panel and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around December (2025) or January (2026).

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.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

1. A good first degree in Chemistry or a closely related subject.
2. A PhD (or be close to submission) in organic chemistry or a related subject.

Experience

1. Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
2. Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
3. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at [national and / or international] conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.
4. Experience in organic synthesis including reaction design and optimisation.

Skills

1. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
2. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable Criteria

Experience

1. Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.
2. A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career.
3. Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.
4. Experience of overseeing students with respect to the development of their practical/research skills e.g. acting as a demonstrator; supervising student projects/practicals.
5. Experience in organofluorine chemistry, especially in the use of fluorinating reagents in organic synthesis.
6. Experience in photo/electrochemistry, especially applied to small molecule synthesis.
7. Experience of Swagelok installation, maintenance and reactor design principles.
8. Experience in handling compressed or toxic gases.

Skills

18. Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research.