Graduate PhD roles for immediate start

The successful candidate will lead projects on the friction and wear of lubricants.

The candidate would critically assess current tribology rigs at Thornton, Cheshire, and recommend new equipment, or modifications to existing equipment, to enable fulfilment of future testing requirements. 

The candidate would also be expected to propose new R&D projects, to interact with colleagues in product development groups, to interact with key University contacts, and to become familiar with tribological models in use at Thornton, and be capable of reporting and presenting results from projects. 

In the medium term, the successful candidate would have the opportunity to move into a product development team, or an alternative department in Thornton (eg Fuels, EVT etc).

Required qualification/skills

We require a physicist or engineer (or a chemist) educated to PhD level with experience in tribology (the science of lubrication, friction and wear) and/or mechanical engineering/machinery design. Any previous experience in the testing of lubricants would be an advantage.

When applying
Your application will be managed through Shell’s graduate route which consists of the following three stages:

1. online application
2. telephone interview
3. attending an assessment centre (known as a Shell Recruitment Day or SRD)

So we can identify your application for this specific role, please follow the below steps during your graduate application:

1. When prompted to ‘Please quote the Reference Code if relevant’ on page 1 of the application process, please input ‘Tribology Scientist’
2. When asked to indicate your ‘main area of interest’ and ‘preferred specialist area’ please choose ‘Technical’ and ‘Product/Process Research’ respectively.

Based in Shell’s Projects & Technology Group, located in Thornton, Cheshire the successful candidate will be accountable for the preparation and/or production of project and research related deliverables including:

• Participation in R&D on long-range and near field dispersion of toxic compounds + fire and explosion science.
• Maintenance & development of dispersion related tools to meet business needs.
• Development and improvement of fire and explosion methodologies and incorporation into computer models.
• Specialist support to Capital Project and operational units in order to assess flammable fire hazards and toxic dispersion hazards and support the safe design and layout of facilities.

Activities will potentially range across all parts of the Shell Business and will require close liaison between many Engineering and Scientific Disciplines.

Required qualification/skills
The successful candidate is likely to have a Phd or equivalent in physics, applied mathematics or chemical engineering.Due to the wide ranging group of stakeholders involved in this work, the successful candidate should be:

• an effective communicator, able to facilitate workshops/ meetings with senior people
• strong on customer focus with a can-do attitude, focused on delivery
• able to work with a wide and diverse group of people
• experienced in atmospheric emission or fire/explosion measurement and modeling would be an advantage.

The successful candidate will have a long term desire to establish an independent reputation as an expert in the field of Major Hazard Management and be willing to work flexibly within a global virtual team

When applying

Your application will be managed through Shell’s graduate route which consists of the following three stages:

1. online application
2. telephone interview
3. attending an assessment centre (known as a Shell Recruitment Day or SRD)

So we can identify your application for this specific role, please follow the below steps when filling out the online application form:

1. When prompted to ‘Please quote the Reference Code if relevant’ on page 1 of the application process, please input ‘Major Hazard’
2. When asked to indicate your ‘main area of interest’ and ‘preferred specialist area’ please choose ‘Technical’ and ‘Product/Process Research’ respectively.