Research Assistant - Biorefining


Company:	University of South Wales
Salary:	£29,588 to £33,951 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Pontypridd, CF37 1DL
Working pattern:	On-site
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	7 Oct 2026
Closing date:	21 Oct 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

Based at Treforest campus, this role offers an opportunity to join the Sustainable Environment Research Centre (SERC) and contribute to a portfolio of externally funded research in circular economy, bioresources, sustainable materials, hydrogen and low-carbon technologies.

The Research Assistant will provide practical laboratory and field research support across the Whey2Build, BIO-VISTA, HyDIGEST and PHACTUS projects. The work includes the collection and handling of waste biomass from operational sites, solids-liquid separation, laboratory-scale biomass fermentation experiments, solids and volatile solids measurements, and chemical characterisation of biomass and process samples. The postholder contributes to data analysis, project reporting and publications.

We are looking for a practical, organised and collaborative researcher with strong laboratory skills, a sound approach to health and safety, experience of working with waste biomass and experience of chemical characterisation. Familiarity with solids separation, biomass collection and transport, fermentation processes, and total and volatile solids measurements will be particularly important.

This is a full-time, fixed-term post, funded for 2 years.

For an informal conversation about this post, please contact Dr. Jaime Massanet-Nicolau at jaime.massanet@southwales.ac.uk.

Discover the advantages of working for USW: https://tinyurl.com/WorkatUSW

USW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All those working at the University are expected to share this commitment.

We are committed to employing a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment. Where colleagues can be themselves and every person is treated with dignity, fairness and respect. We actively encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and communities, especially with regards to age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and religion and/or belief. We benchmark our success through equality accreditations with Athena Swan, Race Equality Charter, Stonewall and Disability Confident.

If you’re a Welsh learner or a Welsh speaker, we’d be delighted to receive your application. At USW, you’ll have access to Welsh courses to enable you to develop your Welsh skills further, in order to provide a bilingual service to our students, colleagues and the public.

We welcome applications in Welsh and English. Applications in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than those made in English.

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.