Research Associate or Research Assistant in Circular Robotic Manufacturing – Loughborough

Job Title: Research Associate or Research Assistant in Circular Robotic Manufacturing

Job Reference: REQ260280

Date Posted: Fri, 1 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Application Closing Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Location: Loughborough

Package: Specialist and Supporting Academic Research grade 5 from £29,588, or grade 6 from £35,608 per annum. Subject to annual pay award.

Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering

Full Time, Fixed Term until 31 January 2028

This role is not suitable for remote working and is office based only as it is essential that the post holder has the ability and willingness to travel to national and international partners and undertake visits lasting 1-3 weeks to project partners.

Please note: this role will be recruited to either a Post Doctoral Research Associate (grade 6) or Research Assistant (grade 5) depending on the pool of applicants we receive.

Role and Responsibilities

We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic Graduate Research Assistant or Post-Doctoral Research Associate with strong interest in Circular Economy, Robotics, AI and vision systems, sustainability, remanufacturing and recycling to work on an exciting project which aims to develop a whole system circular approach to the design, use and end-of-life management of industrial robots.

The postholder will be based at the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University campus and will lead work on developing a circular economy framework for disassembly, refurbishment, remanufacturing or material recycling of end-of-life industrial robots, supported by AI-based life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) models.

This appointment is fixed term until the current project end date of 31 January 2028. You will have a BSc, MSc or PhD degree or equivalent in mechanical, manufacturing, electronic, robotic control engineering or any relevant discipline. You will have regular interaction and collaborate closely with the project’s team of researchers together with an integrated academic and industrial project team to develop new learning and to disseminate the project findings.

Qualifications and Experience

You will have a BSc, MSc or PhD degree or equivalent in mechanical, manufacturing, electronic, robotic control engineering or any relevant discipline.

Why Apply

With huge amount of variety in the role, there is an opportunity for you to develop and continually grow.

If this sounds like the right place, team and role for you please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Application Process

For further support with your application, please refer to our application guidance, which includes some top tips to help you when completing your application.

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process. If there are additional adjustments you’d like to request please contact Professor Shahin Rahimifard. We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job.

Contact and Closing

Informal enquiries should be directed to Professor Shahin Rahimifard (S.Rahimifard@lboro.ac.uk)

Closing Date: 1 June 2026

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Benefits

At Loughborough, our benefits are designed to support your life inside and outside of work, helping you to thrive and feel valued as part of our community.

• Time off – generous holiday allowance, including 14 university closure days and bank holidays, with the option to buy extra through our holiday purchase scheme.
• Where you work – access to a range of fantastic facilities with plenty of green space across our 523-acre East Midlands campus, plus an exciting community at our London campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• Financial Wellbeing – competitive pay, two excellent pension schemes, and everyday savings opportunities.
• Support for you and those close to you – through our range of life event leave policies as well as access to an on-site nursery at our East Midlands campus, flexible and hybrid working options.
• Health and Wellbeing – discounted gym memberships and access to world-class sporting facilities, including physiotherapy, plus healthcare offers such as eyesight testing and wellbeing support.
• Travel and sustainability – access to our electric vehicle and cycle-to-work schemes, as well as a variety of travel offers to support sustainable commuting.

Discover more about the full range of rewards and benefits at Loughborough University.

#J-18808-Ljbffr