Salary: £33,309 - £40,927 per annum

FTE: 1.0

Term: Open-ended

Closing Date: 12 July 2022

The University of Strathclyde in Glasgow possesses a large internationally rated Engineering Faculty with a proud history of successful joint ventures with industrial and enterprise partners. As part of the University’s strategic development the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) has been established near Glasgow’s International Airport. The AFRC is the embodiment of a £30 million collaborative investment by Industrial, Academic and Government partners seeking to establish a world-leading research facility for forging and forming technologies.

The AFRC is seeking to appoint an experienced R&D Engineer to lead and deliver high value research and knowledge exchange programmes related to metal forging through applied experimental research activity and introduce the outcomes into manufacturing environments. This will involve the candidate working between the AFRC and its industrial partners and there will be a strong emphasis on knowledge exchange and process improvement.

This post will be based within the Forging & Incremental Technologies team, reporting directly to the Incremental Forming Theme Lead. Incremental manufacturing technologies are key strategic areas of development for the AFRC, the AFRC has invested significantly in this area and with the drive from UK and Scottish government for low cost, more cost-efficient product solutions there is significant opportunity to secure funding and commercial work in this area. Over the past six months there has been a significant interest and discussions with multiple AFRC Member companies with regard to Core, CoreD & DIRF projects relating to Forging & Incremental Technologies.

As an R&D Engineer you will work across a number of projects and contribute to the development of the technical capability in the AFRC.

To achieve the above the R&D Engineer will require research and/or industrial experience in at least two of the following technical areas:

• Knowledge and experience of process improvement/optimisation strategies for incremental forming and forging processes, including pre and post forming operations (e.g. pre-forming, heat treatment strategies, automation, etching, polishing);
• Good understanding of material deformation behavior during forming operations including tool design and equipment operation;
• A broad knowledge of forming and forging processes related to metallic materials and alloys, especially those relevant to the aerospace and automotive sector (e.g. Steels, Nickel based superalloys, Titanium alloys and Aluminium alloys);
• Knowledge of a range of process modeling approaches for verification and validation of forging process parameters and tooling designs;

The Opportunity
We are looking to appoint a candidate who is interested in helping shape the future of manufacturing, working with a range of innovative industrial partners and academic experts, new and emerging technologies and challenging manufacturing in the UK and globally. We would love to hear from you, if you have an established track record in providing engineering solutions in an industrial context, a good first degree and substantial experience or PhD qualification, and experience and expertise in a forging and forming technology area.

You’ll be rewarded with:

• The opportunity to work with a variety of innovative industry partners and leading academics.
• The opportunity to work with cutting edge and bold technologies.
• Excellent employee benefits and opportunities for career development.

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to May Hicks, Acting Theme Lead, Incremental Technologies (may.hicks@strath.ac.uk).