About this role
College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains
Location: Brunel University of London, Uxbridge Campus
Hours: Full-time
Contract type: Fixed term until 31 January 2028
Brunel University of London was established in 1966 and is a leading multidisciplinary research-intensive technology university delivering economic, social and cultural benefits.
For more information please visit: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/our-history/home
We are looking for an enthusiastic, ambitious and experienced researcher to join the research team of an exciting project on the decarbonisation of food supply systems.
The project, Park Royal Net Zero Food Supply Systems (Park Royal Net Zero - Park Royal Net Zero Food Systems) is based at the Park Royal Industrial area. Park Royal in West London is one of the largest employment sites in the UK, with 1,700 businesses, employing 40,000 people and producing 30% of London’s food. The project, led by Brunel University of London is a collaboration between Brunel, Harper Adams University, West London Business and food industry at Park Royal. The aim is to work closely with the food and drink businesses in the area to develop and implement strategies to address the challenges they face with energy, waste, and productivity to reduce carbon cost, improve resilience and drive economic growth.
The appointee will work alongside business development managers and academics to engage with food businesses at Park Royal, to first understand and quantify the energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and waste from their operations, particularly refrigeration systems, and then investigate and propose solutions that will lead to reductions towards the net zero target.
The successful applicant is expected to have a PhD or other equivalent qualification with experience in a relevant area of engineering or technology and very good knowledge of refrigeration technologies and systems, from thermodynamic cycles to components and simulation of performance. The work will particularly focus on the interaction between refrigeration systems with the controlled thermal environment that can vary across cold storage and distribution and food retail.
Experience in thermodynamic modelling and the use of simulation tools such as TRNSYS, EnergyPlus, Aspen, and Computational Fluid Dynamics software packages is essential. Instrumentation and experimentation knowledge and skills are also essential.
The appointee will also be expected to have excellent oral and written communication skills and be able to work closely with other researchers in the group and project collaborators.
We offer a generous annual leave package plus discretionary University closure days, excellent training and development opportunities as well as a great occupational pension scheme and a range of health-related support.
For further information and to explore the requirements of the position in more detail before you apply, please contact Professor Savvas Tassou.
Email: [email protected]
Closing date for applications: 30 September 2026
If you have any technical issues, please contact us at: [email protected]
Brunel University London is fully committed to creating and sustaining a fully inclusive workforce culture. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities, we particularly welcome applicants who are currently under-represented in our workforce.