Postdoctoral Research Associate in RF and Antenna Systems for MASER-based Communications - Sutherland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8ST, GB

Salary: £41,064 - £46,049Work hours: Office Hours Monday to Friday, Full Time

Job Description

Working as part of multi‑disciplinary teams, you will support the Principal Investigator in delivering research on MASER‑enabled RF, antenna, and free‑space microwave communication systems . You will design, model, and experimentally validate RF front‑ends, antenna systems, and downstream modulation and transmission architectures interfacing with a room‑temperature solid‑state MASER. Responsibilities include system‑level integration, free‑space communication measurements under varying environmental conditions, detailed performance analysis, and contributing to technical reports and high‑quality publications. You will work collaboratively with colleagues within the Photonics Technology Group, as well as wider academic and industrial partners.

This role is fixed term from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (12 months) , with potential for extension depending on performance and the availability of further funding .

ABOUT THE TEAM

This research project is based within the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics at Northumbria University, working under the supervision of Dr Juna Sathian , Associate Professor and an expert in MASER and laser technologies. You will join the MASER research group within the Photonics Technology Group, a team conducting internationally recognised work in room‑temperature MASER‑enabled microwave communication systems, with recent outputs published in high‑impact journals.

You will work closely with the existing MASER team, including current PhD researchers and Postdoctoral Research Associates, contributing to an active and collaborative research environment. The group maintains strong academic and industrial partnerships and offers excellent opportunities for technical development and career progression.

ABOUT YOU

Applicants should hold a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline, and have demonstrable specialist expertise in RF and microwave engineering, antenna design and testing, free‑space microwave communication, and the analysis and reporting of experimental results.

Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification .

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact, Dr Juna Sathian .

To apply for this vacancy please click Apply Now . Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.

ABOUT US

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Based in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation and offer flexible hours and location where the role allows. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding numerous awards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.

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