Research Associate - IGNITE

Research Associate – Carbon Neutral Steel

Are you interested in working on a project looking to deliver cutting edge science and the engineering research required to create carbon neutral, resource‑efficient UK steel supply chains?

The Research Associate will lead a project within the IGNITE portfolio investigating how residual elements like copper and tin affect the performance of rail and high‑strength wire steels produced via electric arc furnaces. The role involves manufacturing and thermomechanically processing high‑carbon steels, characterising their microstructure and mechanical properties, and modelling performance under real working conditions such as wear and fatigue. The work will culminate in recommendations to improve steel products, close collaboration with industrial partners, and publication of results in high‑impact journals.

• Manufacturing and thermomechanically processing high‑carbon steels.
• Characterising microstructure and mechanical properties.
• Modelling performance under real working conditions such as wear and fatigue.
• Collaborating with industrial partners and preparing recommendations for steel product improvement.
• Publishing results in high‑impact journals.

• Relevant education and work experience in steel research, including processing, microstructural characterisation, mechanical properties, and modelling.
• Good track record in carrying out independent and original scientific research and publishing research papers.
• Ability to work and communicate efficiently with other members of the team (supervisors, students and postdocs) and collaborators outside the University.
• Critical analysis of experimental results and strong problem‑solving skills.

IGNITE is a Future Manufacturing Hub led by Swansea University along with The Universities of Sheffield, Warwick, Leicester and Birmingham. The Hub is running a large number of projects that are highly interdependent and interdisciplinary. The Hub works closely with its industrial sponsors in formulating and delivering the research. All UK steel manufacturers are involved, namely:
Tata Steel, Liberty Steel, British Steel, Celsa Steel, Sheffield Forge masters International, Materials Processing Institute and many end users including Rolls‑Royce, Network Rail, JLR and many more. You will therefore be part of a large team of researchers within IGNITE.

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world‑class university.

Find out more at  and join us to become part of something special.