Chair of Burberry Material Futures Research Group, and Director of the Material Science Research Centre
The Royal College of Art is the only entirely postgraduate institution of university status dedicated to research and knowledge exchange, teaching and practice in art, design, communication and humanities. It was ranked in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) as the most research intensive art and design institution in the UK, and has been recognised for three successive years by the QS World Ranking survey as the world's number one art and design University.
The UK government has committed £54 million to the RCA to support a major expansion of its Battersea South site with the creation of a flagship innovation campus. The vision for the campus is to build on the RCA’s world-leading research in art and design, and on the success of its existing research centres – the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and CX (the Creative Exchange lab) – by establishing three new interdisciplinary research centres. These will include the recently-established Intelligent Mobility Design Centre, the Material Science Research Centre (incorporating the Burberry Material Futures Research Group), and in due course the Computer Science research centre, with the potential for further research centres in the future. The development of the new research centres represents a step change for the RCA, establishing its interdisciplinary, ‘STEM to STEAM’ expertise with new collaborations with industry in fields including design-led robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced modelling and manufacturing, digital visualisation and simulation, to investigate and answer some of the pressing questions facing society today.
With support from the Burberry Foundation, the RCA is establishing a Burberry Material Futures Research Group. The new Group will bring together world-leading researchers in design-led material futures and is intended to be the first explicit ‘STEAM’ research centre at a traditional art and design university, applying radical thinking to explore the major challenges of new and sustainable materials, new and sustainable approaches to manufacturing and supply chain processes, and design-led innovations in consumer experience and product development. The Group will form the first part of the RCA Material Science Research Centre, undertaking applied research addressing industry challenges and combining the RCA’s world-leading research strengths in design-led innovation, creativity and craft with expertise from science disciplines to create an interdisciplinary, collaborative research group. The RCA seeks an outstanding individual to build and lead this new Group.
This new post presents an exceptional opportunity to establish, shape and lead the direction of this initiative. The Chair will recruit a research team, lead the group’s research and knowledge exchange agenda, driving commercial and practical applications of design research to achieve a high level of economic and social impact, and also serve as the Director of the RCA Material Science Research Centre, to be housed in the new Battersea South campus. The Chair will be responsible for setting the Centre’s academic vision, establishing its reputation, and working with colleagues to secure its sustainability and success. The appointee will also lead the work of the group’s research team and its doctoral research programme, setting the highest standards for research career development. The Chair will report to the Director of Research and Innovation and work closely with the Executive Director, Research Centres and academic and professional service colleagues across the College to advance its research and collaboration agenda.
The successful candidate will demonstrate superb intellectual leadership and entrepreneurship and have an outstanding profile of academic publications and research outputs in a relevant field. S/he will also possess a strong track record as principal investigator, winning and delivering major design-led research grants and knowledge exchange projects with industry, as well as experience of advising and influencing government and policy-making agendas at a high level. The RCA also encourages applications from individuals with relevant industrial experience.
Location: London, Battersea. Salary: Competitive.
For further details, including job description, person specification and information on how to apply, please visit http://candidates.perrettlaver.com/vacancies/605/Nature/.
The deadline for applications is midday (GMT) on 12 January 2018.
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