Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389 per annum
FTE and working pattern: Full time, 5 months fixed term contract
Reward and Benefits : 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator:   https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm   to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
Purpose of Role
This Research Associate (RA) position will contribute to the “FlexiSense� project within the Institute of Signals, Sensors and Systems at the Heriot-Watt University, which is funded by the EPSRC Cross-Institutional Impact Acceleration Award (IAA) funds and in collaboration with colleagues at University of Edinburgh.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Undertake research related to wearable pressure sensors for optimised compression therapy. This will entail both independent research work and working in collaboration with other researchers on the FlexiSense and FlexiShear projects. The successful candidate will proactively engage with collaborating researchers and clinical partners to identify fruitful lines of research and technology development in this area, with a view to understanding, defining, and quantifying target specifications of a future commercial sensor system for compression therapy, and the subsequent design and build of a functioning field-deployable prototype. The candidate might also need to perform systematic characterisation of sensors using an experimental jig setup specifically for this task (60% of time).
Dissemination of research findings through internal reports, conference proceedings, and journal publications (15% of time)
Liaison with and support of colleagues on the EPSRC Cross-Institutional IAA funded FlexiSense project, possibly including domestic and international travel and support of meetings at Heriot Watt University, at the University of Edinburgh, and the Pioneer Wound Healing and Lymphoedema Group (10% of time)
Develop plans for personal research and contribute to wider development of group strategy to identify and agree priorities for current and future work (5% of time)
Contribute to writing bids to win ongoing research grants. Provide guidance to other staff and students interested in integrating methods/results from this work into their own activity to ensure most effective use, particularly within Heriot Watt University and the University of Edinburgh (10% of time)
Key Contacts / Relationships:
- Frequent (daily to weekly) contact with other researchers in the project team and relevant research groups including academic staff, other researchers, technical staff, and PhD students.
- Regular (weekly to monthly) contact with other researchers working on relevant projects in Heriot Watt University and the University of Edinburgh .
Regular (typically monthly) contact with key stakeholders, likely to include industry and clinical partners.
-
Planning & Organising
- Work with the line manager to define and plan a programme of relevant research work and then to produce publishable results within appropriate timescales.
- Work independently to plan the schedule of tasks to ensure that work of the projects progresses according to agreed overall timetable.
- Organise own time so that different aspects of the project can proceed in parallel giving due consideration to the needs of other members of the team.
- Be proactive in interacting with project partners to share data and ideas.
- Take a leadership role in regular project meetings to report and review progress, and to generate new ideas and lines of research.
- Determine the aims, objectives and deadlines for short to medium term work plan, in discussion with the Line Manager (particularly for medium term planning).
Contribute to long-term strategic planning and development of group activities, in discussion with the Line Manager and other researchers.
-
Problem Solving
- Be resourceful in overcoming problems encountered in the development of new approaches and the implementation of existing techniques in the normal course of the research.
- Define the methodology to solve the problems in the project.
Work in close cooperation with the other project investigators, project partners, technical staff, and PhD students working on the project to resolve problems, as required.
-
Decision Making
- The post-holder should be able to organise their work schedule to ensure satisfactory progress and to meet the demands (where realistic) of other project partners, PhD students, etc. The successful candidate will play an important role as a member of the team in making daily decisions about their own plan of work and the allocation of time and resources.
Manage day-to-day work load, making independent decisions about immediate priorities to meet short and medium term targets that have been agreed with Line Manager.
-
Person Specification
These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made.
Essential
- A good undergraduate degree and a PhD (or equivalent industrial research experience) in Electronics and Electrical Engineering or a clearly related area, with a focus on sensors, electronics system design, radio frequency electronics, or a closely related area.
Knowledge & Experience
- Proven track record of research in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, with a specific focus on radio frequency sensors, wearable electronics system design, radio frequency electronics.
- Experience in delivering research project results in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, or a closely related context; i.e. a record of peer-reviewed journal and conference papers in a relevant area.
- Capable of working collaboratively with researchers from different disciplines or technical background.
- Capable of working independently, exercising a high degree of initiative and demonstrating a pro-active and flexible approach to work.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet agreed milestones.
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
- Good time-keeping and time-management, with associated effective prioritisation of tasks.
- Good communication skills; oral, writing and presentation of data.
- Ability to contribute ideas and initiate new ways of working.
An understanding and a willingness to abide by the requirements of commercial confidentiality, alongside and in balance with the requirements of public dissemination.
-
Desirable
- An interest or experience in the application of electronics and electrical engineering solutions to solve challenges in biomedical engineering.
- An interest or experience in the commercialisation of research and technology, either in the academic or industrial environment.
- Experience in the design, build and delivery of electronics hardware and/or software systems, for specific end-use requirements.
- Ability to be adaptive and accepting of new ideas and a willingness to approach new challenges and adjusts plans to meet new priorities.
Knowledge/ experience in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.
-
Dimensions
- Potential to help supervise up to 2 PhD students and 2-4 Masters project students.
Work collaboratively with other RA- 's, industrial, clinical, and academic partners, technical staff, and PhD students from the participating and related groups across multiple institutions.
- Responsibility for regular progress reporting to project partners.
- Keep line manager up-to-date with progress.
Contribute to interactions between immediate group and broader communities working in the fields of compression sensing.
-
Additional Information
A brief explanation of any aspects of the job not covered in the previous sections
Key Job hazard information specific to the role
This role may result in potential exposure to certain hazards as listed below. These will be risk assessed by the school or department, which may require you to participate in, for example, health surveillance or follow other health and safety requirements.
- Work or contact with non-ionising radiation sources such as lasers and hazardous EMF sources.
Exposure to respiratory/skin sensitisers e.g. solder flux, glues and resins.
-
How to Apply
Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV
Applications can be submitted until 23:55 Monday 06 July 2026
About Heriot-Watt University
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
