Technical specialist in Engineered Silk Manufacturing and Optical Fibre Technologies

Join the HOLLOW SILK project, an ambitious research project funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) through its Universal Fabricators programme. HOLLOW SILK aims to develop a novel manufacturing platform based on engineered silk, for the production of microstructured optical fibres. By combining expertise in biomaterials, fibre manufacturing, chemistry, photonics and engineering, the project will establish innovative routes to advanced materials and structures that are difficult, or even impossible, to achieve using conventional manufacturing technologies.

The successful candidate will play a central role in establishing, operating and maintaining the project's experimental manufacturing capabilities. Working alongside a team comprising two postdoctoral researchers at the University of Bath and three further postdoctoral researchers based at Tufts University (Silklab), you will help develop, build and operate experimental fibre manufacturing and materials-processing systems.

Based within the Centre for Photonics at the University of Bath, you will work alongside Professor William Wadsworth, Dr Rox Middleton and Dr Soraya Caixeiro, and collaborate with leading international partners including Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto and Dr Giulia Guidetti (Silklab, Tufts University) and Dr David Breslauer (USA).

In this role you will:

- Support the development, assembly and operation of experimental manufacturing systems and laboratory facilities.
- Design, build and modify bespoke research equipment, instrumentation and prototype manufacturing platforms.
- Assist with experimental research activities, including materials preparation, equipment operation, data collection and analysis.
- Maintain laboratory equipment, inventories, technical documentation and safe working practices.
- Provide technical support and training to researchers and students.
- Work closely with project partners to help deliver research objectives and programme milestones.

The role will also provide opportunities to contribute to process development, technology scale-up activities and the implementation of automation, monitoring and control systems where appropriate.

About you:

We are looking for an enthusiastic and practical individual with strong technical skills and a passion for hands-on problem solving. Experience in laboratory, manufacturing, engineering or technical development environments will be highly valued, particularly in areas such as materials processing, instrumentation, automation, prototyping or process development. Candidates may come from a range of backgrounds, including industry, research organisations, apprenticeships or higher education. Familiarity with programming or scripting for automation, equipment control or data acquisition would be advantageous but is not essential. Above all, we are looking for someone who enjoys hands-on problem solving and is excited by the challenge of helping translate cutting-edge research into scalable manufacturing technologies.

Benefits:

- Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days.
- Generous employer contributory pension schemes.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.
- Staff discount at Team Bath gym.
- Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships and LinkedIn Learning.
- Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath.
- A family-friendly workplace.
- Relocation allowance.
- Visa reimbursement and interest-free loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses.
- Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app.
- Staff support groups and networks, a network of Staff Wellbeing Champions, and a suite of tools and frameworks to support wellbeing.