About us

The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES) comprises Chemistry, Engineering, Informatics, Mathematics, and Physics – all departments highly rated in research activities and a wide-ranging portfolio of education programmes.

Celebrating diversity and supporting staff is important to us and we offer a range of provision including flexible working, caring support (including a Parenting and Carers Fund and the Carer’s Career Development Fund), training, and a variety of diversity and inclusion networks. Staff can apply for flexible working to help them balance the demands of their professional and personal commitments and we offer comprehensive leave policies for parental, adoption, surrogacy, dependant and shared leave.

The university is making investment in NMES, and both student and staff numbers are growing. Our staff come from over 45 countries and 56% of our students are from outside the UK. Further details available at www.kcl.ac.uk/nms.

About the role

Applications are invited for a 2.5 year fixed-term position in the group of Dr Rebecca Musgrave in the Department of Chemistry, King’s College London. The research is directed towards the synthesis and characterisation of bimetallic complexes which mimic the structure and reactivity of the Acetyl Co-enzyme A Synthase cofactor, in a collaborative project involving King’s College London and Imperial College London (Dr Daniel Wilson, Dr Maxie Roessler).

Applicants should have a PhD in synthetic chemistry, ideally with extensive experience in handling air- and moisture-sensitive materials using Schlenk line and glovebox techniques, as well as characterisation techniques (including but not limited to NMR, IR, UV-vis and EPR spectroscopies, magnetometry, cyclic voltammetry). Some experience in characterising paramagnetic compounds, modelling organometallic mechanisms, as well as basic density functional theory, is desired, but not essential. Excellent communication skills and experience of writing up research results for publication are expected.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Musgrave at rebecca.musgrave@kcl.ac.uk. This post is advertised with an intended start date of 1st July 2025, with flexibility. 

This is a full-time post, and you will be offered a 2.5-year fixed term contract starting no later than 01/11/2025.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A PhD in synthetic inorganic chemistry (or pending results)
2. Experience in the safe handling of highly air- and moisture-sensitive reagents
3. Significant experience in using Schlenk and glove box techniques
4. Experience synthesising and characterising organometallic complexes
5. Experience in key spectroscopic techniques
6. A strong record of publication in relevant and peer reviewed journals
7. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write scientifically, clearly and succinctly

Desirable criteria

1. Experience in organometallic mechanistic studies
2. Experience in using/applying density functional theory
3. Experience in cyclic voltammetry experiments
4. Characterisation of paramagnetic compounds
5. Evidence of independent funding

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

HR Use Only (Research G6 Clause):

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

Grade and Salary: £44,355 - £47,882 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance)
Job ID: 115685
Close Date: 18-Jun-2025
Contact Person: Dr Rebecca Musgrave
Contact Details: rebecca.musgrave@kcl.ac.uk