Applicant Information
Assistant Professor / Associate Professor in Chemical
Engineering (ref EPS/CE1)
or
Mechanical Engineering (ref EPS/ME1)
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences has an international research reputation and close connection with the
professional and industrial world of science, engineering and technology. Our research ranges from fundamental
sciences through to engineering applications, all of which are supported by strong external funding. We have around
110 full-time academic staff who drive this research activity and are based in 5 research institutes: the Institute of
Chemical Sciences, the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences, the Institute of Mechanical, Process & Energy
Engineering, the Institute of Sensors, Signals & Systems and the Institute of Biological Chemistry, BioPhysics &
BioEngineering.
In addition we deliver teaching across 5 programmes: Chemistry; Physics; Electrical, Electronic & Computer
Engineering; Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. We pride ourselves on the student experience we
offer and were ranked UK University of the Year for Student Experience 2012/13 in the Sunday Times University Guide,
as well as Scottish University of the Year 2012/13 and 2011/2012. In the 2013 National Student Survey Heriot-Watt
University was ranked as the second top university in Scotland. Chemical Engineering was ranked top in the UK for the
fourth year running, Chemistry was ranked top in the UK, and Mechanical Engineering was ranked top in Scotland.
Heriot-Watt had the highest response rate in Scotland from students confirming the continued support and
recognition by our students.
Heriot-Watt has received the Bronze Award from the Athena SWAN Charter recognising excellence in championing
employment of women in the fields of science and technology, engineering and mathematics.
Job Description
As part on the Universities strategy for growth, the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences is looking for highly
motivated individuals with research and teaching experience in the general area of chemical/process or mechanical
engineering. The successful candidate will have a particular expertise and a proven research track record in one or
more of the following areas:
• Oil and gas engineering with interests related to upstream production and downstream refining. Research
interests would ideally be related to experimental or modelling of multiphase flow, thermal processes for energy
and carbon conversions with applications to the gas and oil sector.
 Carbon dioxide capture, transport, storage and utilisation with interest in the experimental and theoretical
development of novel materials, reactive flow in porous networks, as well as process intensification and control.
• Biomechanical and biomedical engineering and life science/engineering interface research activities, including
work on bio-processing and bio-separation.
The appointed person should have a first degree in chemical or mechanical engineering, and a PhD or equivalent
qualification and a proven record of research activity. It is expected the appointee will be involved in collaborative
projects supported by existing colleagues within the School and be able to work in multidisciplinary teams.
Key responsibilities of the posts will be to contribute to the research, and to the Chemical Engineering or Mechanical
Engineering programmes teaching at all levels in core areas. For chemical engineering, this may include heat transfer,
mass transfer, chemistry and reactions, thermodynamics, process design and materials. Typical key teaching topics in
mechanical engineering include but are not limited to leading computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing,
finite element analysis, machine elements theory and applications in design, manufacturing processes, manufacturing
systems and new product and process development. A key part of the Universities strategy is internationalisation and
we would therefore expect that successful applicants to contribute to the development of material at undergraduate
and postgraduate levels, for delivery to one our international sites.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Work activities will vary according to the requirements of the job and individual areas of teaching and research
responsibility; however, general responsibilities are typically, but not restricted to, the following:
 actively engaging in research and actively contributing to the university’s research profile;
 publicising research through the preparation and submission of journal and conference papers and
participating in academic conferences;
 supervising students and research associates’ research work;
 actively pursuing research funding through the development of quality grant proposals;
 contributing to teaching through the delivery of lectures, tutorials and laboratories;
 assessing students’ work;
 carrying out general academic administration including student recruitment and admissions, participation on
committees and exam boards, taking responsibility for key administration tasks;
 designing, preparing and developing teaching materials, assessment material and methods;
 actively developing and implementing new teaching methods;
 mentoring students;
 undertaking continuous professional development (CPD) and participating in staff development activities;
 managing and supervising staff;
 representing the institution in a professional capacity, e.g. conferences, meetings, with industrial partners,
etc;
 establishing collaborative research and teaching links outside the university via funding councils, industry,
business and public bodies.
Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant
duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role
develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.
Contractual Information
Job Title: Assistant Professor / Associate
Professor in Chemical Engineering or
Assistant Professor / Associate Professor in
Mechanical Engineering
Grade/Salary Range:
Assistant Professor - Grade 8, £37,756 - £45,053 or
Grade 7, £29,837 - £36,661 DOE
Associate Professor - Grade 9, £46,440 - £53,765;
School/Service: EPS
Pension Scheme: USS
Reporting to: Head of the Institute of
Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering
Annual leave: 33 days plus 9 Buildings Closed Days
Duration of Post: Open ended
Working Hours: Those deemed necessary to do
the work
Sickness benefits: up to 6 Months Full Pay, 6 Months Half
Pay
Start Date: as agreed
Person Specification
This section details the attributes e.g. skills, knowledge/qualifications and competencies which are required in order to
undertake the full remit of the role.
Attributes
Essential
Education & Qualifications
(technical, professional,
academic qualifications and
training required)
PhD
CEng or working towards
CEng status
Experience
(Examples of specific
experience sought. For
Academic posts state type of
publications expected as well
as teaching, research,
professional / industrial /
commercial, consultancy,
managerial and administrative
experience )
Good range of quality
journal publications in
their chosen interest
area.
Experience of collaborative
academic-industrial
research projects.
Demonstrates in-depth
knowledge of
fundamentals.
Evidence of teaching
undergraduate
engineering students
core process or
mechanical
engineering topics.
Desirable
Means of
Assessment
Certificates, CV
Application form
and interview
Research funding and
making applications.
Evidence of funding –
achieved and applied for.
Lecturing and assessment
experience.
Has acquired background
knowledge of the
University and the School.
Has future research
plans in one or more of
the stated areas.
Competencies, Skills&
Knowledge
(e.g. effective communication
skills, initiative, flexibility,
leadership etc)
Good, lucid, clear
communicator.
Good presentation
skills.
Demonstrates evidence of
willingness to be involved
in collaborative research.
Team player.
Interview and
presentation.
Feedback from
academic staff.
Has teaching and research
experience in core
engineering areas.
Demonstrates willingness
to participate in
international delivery of
programmes.
Interview
Shows leadership.
Explains concepts well.
Demonstrated
initiative in teaching,
and obtaining research
funding.
Other Attributes/Abilities
(if applicable)
Special Factors (if applicable)
Interview
Essential Criteria – these are attributes without which a candidate would not be able to undertake the full remit of the
role. Applicants who do not clearly demonstrate in their application that they possess the essential requirements will
normally be eliminated at the short listing stage.
Desirable Criteria – these are attributes which would be useful for the candidate to hold. When short listing, these
criteria will be considered when more than one applicant meets the essential criteria.
Application Process
If you would like to be considered for either opportunity, please submit your CV, publication list and a 1 page
statement of how you meet the criteria in the person specification, to research-jobs@hw.ac.uk no later than 1st July
2014.
For informal enquiries contact Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Head of the Institute of Mechanical, Process & Energy
Engineering at M.Maroto-Valer@hw.ac.uk .
For all applications and correspondence about your application, please quote ref: EPS/CE1 for Chemical Engineering
posts or EPS/ME1 for Mechanical Engineering posts.
The University is committed to equality of opportunity.
Other Relevant Information
The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University was founded in 2002, bringing together the
disciplines of mechanical engineering; chemical engineering; electronic, electrical and computer engineering; physics;
and chemistry. Professor Steve McLaughlin is the current Head of School. The School comprises around 120 academic
staff, 80 research associates, 80 support staff, 230 postgraduate research students, 135 students on taught postgraduate courses and approximately 1600 undergraduate students in Edinburgh, 600 students in Dubai and 120 in
Baku. The School has a turnover of around £43M, approximately one-quarter of that of the University, divided roughly
equally between research and teaching.
The School is a full partner in three Scottish Higher Education Funding Council ‘research pooling initiatives’, in
chemistry (‘ScotCHEM’), physics (the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, SUPA) and in engineering and mathematics
(with the University of Edinburgh, the ‘Edinburgh Research Partnership’, ERP). The School is organised into a number
of research institutes to promote interdisciplinary research collaboration and teaching disciplines to delivery our
Undergraduate programmes.
The School is active in a wide range of research areas, supported by strong external funding. The appointee will be
based in the Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE). The mission of this vibrant Institute is
to foster cross-disciplinary research excellence in the areas of energy, product design and manufacturing, and
chemical and process engineering. Much of the work involves strong industrial links across a range of sectors with our
staff having a combination of skills and experience which allow us to identify and grow new areas of interest. We are
particularly keen to hear from those with core research and teaching interests that contribute to one or more of the
following research areas:
• Oil and gas engineering with interests related to upstream production and downstream refining. Research
interests would ideally be related to experimental or modelling of multiphase flow, thermal processes for energy
and carbon conversions with applications to the gas and oil sector.

•
Carbon dioxide capture, transport, storage and utilisation with interest in the experimental and theoretical
development of novel materials, reactive flow in porous networks, as well as process intensification and control.
Biomechanical and biomedical engineering and life science/engineering interface research activities, including
work on bio-processing and bio-separation.
Heriot-Watt has a strong reputation with industry for our graduates and our practical research. We are especially
pleased that Heriot-Watt is part of the world wide Chevron University Partnership Programme. There are currently 12
institutions across the world supported in this way by Chevron, and Heriot-Watt is the only institution in the UK with
support for two undergraduate programmes, namely Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. It is expected that a new
MEng Chemical Engineering and a related MSc in Chemical Engineering with a focus on the oil and gas sector will be
developed. These programmes along with our undergraduate programmes are to be developed for delivery to
students at our campuses in Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to be
involved with development and delivery of material on these new programmes.
Chemical Engineering has a cohort of undergraduate students and holds the highest Research Assessment Exercise
2008 rating for the discipline in Scotland. The subject area is responsible for a highly successful Chemical Engineering
undergraduate programme which offers a number of MEng level courses including Energy Engineering,
Pharmaceutical Engineering and Oil & Gas Technology. The 2012 National Student Survey results ranks Chemical
Engineering at Heriot-Watt No. 1 in the UK for second year in succession, with a 97% student satisfaction rating. We
now offer BEng Petroleum Engineering and BEng Chemical Engineering to students in Azerbaijan and will be delivering
these programmes in Malaysia in 2014. All programmes are accredited by the IChemE.
Mechanical Engineering has approximately 30 staff in the teaching discipline that delivers a two MEng/BEng IMechE
accredited programmes in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering with Energy Engineering and
undergraduate programme delivery will start in Malaysia in session 2014/15. We have the largest undergraduate
cohorts in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at our Edinburgh and Dubai campuses. Our students are
well recognised by industry of having a good mix between theoretical expertise and engineering appreciation, gained
from many industry related projects.
The School’s undergraduate portfolio comprises 26 distinct accredited degree titles in our main disciplines and in
interdisciplinary topics (plus degrees in Combined Studies) offered at the bachelor and undergraduate masters level.
Recently, the EPS taught postgraduate activities have been brought together to form a graduate school which
oversees the development of new MSc programmes utilising expertise within the School. In addition to the
development and expansion of their research interests, successful applicants will contribute to the development and
delivery of new taught programmes. An appointee without appropriate teaching experience would be expected to
complete the Heriot-Watt University PG Certificate in Academic Practice.
The successful applicants will participate in the research, teaching and administration of EPS as directed by the Head
of School at an appropriate level.
Heriot-Watt University and Values
With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and
practical, leading-edge research, which has made us one of the top UK universities for business and industry.
We’re a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking
out our graduates.
Heriot-Watt is also Scotland’s most international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence.
We deliver degree programmes to 11,800 students in 150 countries around the world, have a campus in Dubai and
boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.
At Heriot-Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff
and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.
We’re proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a
community of committed academics and highly motivated students. Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve
an excellent reputation for graduate employability.
We have campuses in Edinburgh, the Borders, Orkney and Dubai where we aim to provide stimulating, supportive
environments conducive to effective learning and research, and where staff and students can excel.
At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our
commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.
Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a
higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.
Our values are:
o
o
o
o
o
Valuing and respecting everyone
Pursuing excellence
Pride and belonging
Shaping the future
Outward looking
As a learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our
work and how we conduct ourselves as part of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a
University community and help us to become the best at what we do.
It's key that all our staff feel part of our achievements, and our values provide your link to our success.
For full details on our University please view our website, www.hw.ac.uk
Heriot-Watt University is a charity registered in Scotland (SC000278).