Job Description

Salary

The starting salary will be from 34,610 on Grade E, depending on qualifications and experience.

Contractual hours

36.5

Package

Generous holiday allowances, flexible working, pension scheme and relocation package (if applicable).

Job category/type

Research

Date posted

05/11/2025

Job reference

Q10431

Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy

The above full-time (1.0FTE) post is available from 2nd March 2026 on a 12-month fixed-term basis, within the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy.

This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working - some time on campus and some from home.

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Professor James Brownjohn. This UKRI-funded post is available from March 2026 for 12 months. The successful applicant will carry out research on population-based structural health monitoring (PBSHM) of civil infrastructure as part of the ROSEHIPS multi-institution program grant (EP/W005816/1, pbshm.ac.uk).

The researcher will be based with a sub-team of researchers from the Vibration Engineering Section at the University of Exeter (and led by Prof. Brownjohn), but will work closely with teams from Queen's University, Belfast (led by Prof. Hester) and particularly the University of Sheffield (led by Prof. Worden) both remotely and in person.

The researcher will develop and implement a PBSHM demonstration software for asset management by the project's industry partners. This will involve creating a bespoke software (Infrastructure Management Software, IMS) that will integrate with the existing PBSHM software created by the researchers at the University of Sheffield. Creation of this technological showcase will be a key part of the research to demonstrate to current and potential industrial partners the potential benefit of PBSHM.

The researcher will exploit existing data sets (from operational bridges, communications masts, wind turbines) to integrate into the showcase software. The researcher will characterise structures (for existing and new data) as 'irreducible element' models, thus enabling the PBSHM software to draw inferences for similar structures in a population.

The researcher will take a leading role in the curation of the software. We are looking for a keen developer to join the PBSHM team and help build some of the fundamental technologies for PBSHM adoption.

There will be opportunities to participate in, and gain experience with, field measurements of full-scale structures with the Exeter and Belfast teams.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will have coding skills in Python, PIP, JSON and HTML and will be experienced in using MongoDB. They will also have an understanding of good software engineering practises (unit tests, version control, documentation, etc).

Please ensure you read the and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research; Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career


A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world's most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today. More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research - Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

For further information please contact Professor James Brownjohn, e-mail j.brownjohn@exeter.ac.uk

The closing date for completed applications is

26th November

. Interviews are expected to take place shortly after the closing date.