This prestigious fellowship will allow three researchers to spend 12 months at the University of Strathclyde, gaining access to cutting-edge research facilities, industry networks, and career development opportunities.

Projects are led from the Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Early Career Researchers will also have many opportunities to engage with the wider Strathclyde research ecosystem.

• Project 1: Re-evaluating the usability of bone turnover biochemical markers for monitoring changes in intrinsic bone parameters
• Project 2: Development of catalysts for photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic biomass conversion
• Project 3: Uncovering the mechanism of action of novel DNA-binding agents against Gram-negative bacteria

Applicants to the overall Fellowship are expected to meet the following essential criteria:

• be a permanent resident of Thailand
• be an Early Career Researcher*
• not currently in receipt of financial support or funding towards any other programme in the UK from any other sources.
• meet the University's English language requirement
• employees of the British Council, the UK government or Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish governments are not eligible to apply for this programme
• agree to maintain contact with the British Council for purposes of monitoring and evaluation during and after their fellowship

Applicants to the overall Fellowship are also expected to meet the following essential criteria, which will be graded as part of the application process:

• have a background or a proven interest in the selected research project
• be willing to demonstrate future contribution to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement through the benefits achieved after completing the fellowship programme
• demonstrate a plan and a passion to engage other early career researchers from their home country

*Definition of Early Career Researcher (ECR)

Early Career Researchers (ECRs) have completed or are close to completion of their PhD, potentially waiting for their final viva voce examination, which must be passed prior to taking up the award.

ECRs will not have held a permanent academic post or a permanent post with a research-related element, or one which allowed them to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a principal investigator. Time spent in teaching-only roles or academic related roles does not affect ECR status, provided no research element was part of the role.

If a researcher does not hold a PhD but has research experience equivalent to a PhD holder and works in a field where a PhD is not a prerequisite for established research activity, they can still be considered eligible. Participants from for-profit organisations cannot be funded. As we move toward greater inclusivity for ECRs from a wide range of backgrounds, we are no longer counting years spent in a specific career stage. Career breaks and alternative trajectories to an early academic career are all considered outside the definition of career stage.

• annual bursary to cover your living costs, pro rata for fellowships shorter than 12 months
• research-related expenses such as consumables, small equipment, travel and subsistence within the UK, publication costs, or other expenses related directly to the research project
• return economy-class travel from home country to the UK
• visa, insurance and NHS surcharge
• bespoke, pre-departure meeting held in Bangkok, on Strathclyde, life in the UK, and Strathclyde's long-term ambition in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia
• University support for visa & finding accommodation
• University resources for equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI), career development, welfare support, mental health and well-being support
• tailor-made support to introduce and integrate ECRs into existing Strathclyde networks of academia and industry partners in the UK and Thailand

Supervisor: Dr Sebastian Sprick, Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry

Project partners: Dr Junjuda Unruangsri, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

The Strathclyde team has worked for many years in the area of photocatalysis. Recently, we have developed conjugated polymers for the photocatalytic conversion of biomass coupled to hydrogen production from water. This allows us to generate sustainable hydrogen fuel as well as value-added biomass oxidation products.

In this project, the Research Fellow will have the opportunity to carry out research using either photochemical or photoelectrochemical methods in the area of biomass conversion coupled to hydrogen production with photoactive composites. Of particular interest is the development of scalable devices enabled through solution-processing or additive manufacturing, such as 3D-printing of photoactive composites, which have recently been developed by the team.

Eligibility

In addition to meeting general eligibility criteria for the overall Fellowship, an applicant to this project would be expected to meet the following criteria, which will be graded as part of the application process:

Essential

Significant experience in:

• the synthesis, characterisation and properties of conjugated materials ( for example, conjugated polymers, covalent organic frameworks)
  or
• inorganic semiconductors
  or
• metal-organic frameworks at postgraduate level

Desirable

Experience in:

• photoelectrochemistry and/or photochemical measurements
• analysis of mixtures using mass spectrometry
• knowledge of or interest in computational methods