Job Description

School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical, and Materials Engineering

Full time - Fixed term - Hybrid

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join an exciting UKRI-funded project titled "AI-Driven Metabolic Modelling and Sustainability Assessment for Next-Generation Biorefineries."

The project aims to accelerate the design of sustainable biorefineries by leveraging computational biology and artificial intelligence to optimise microbial strain engineering and bioprocess strategies for converting agro-industrial residues into high-value chemicals.

The successful candidate will:

Develop genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) for engineered microbial strains.
Design and implement machine learning algorithms to predict strain performance and optimise metabolic pathways.

Integrate multi-omics datasets into computational workflows for systems-level analysis.

Perform techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) using tools such as Aspen Plus, openLCA, and BioSTEAM.

You will work within a multidisciplinary consortium of three leading UK universities and two industrial partners, contributing to the UK's transition toward a circular bioeconomy. The role offers access to Loughborough University's High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, including the Lovelace cluster and regional Tier-2 resources, supporting large-scale computational modelling and machine learning tasks.

The position is full-time and fixed-term for 24 months. Salary will be on Specialist and Supporting Academic Grade 6, from 35,608 - 46,049 per annum.

For more information refer to the

and Person Specification.

Our 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. Examples of our benefits include:

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.