Industrial Secondment: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) monitoring

********************Deadline Passed********************

C-DICE is excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a three-month industrial secondment (with a potential job offer at the end of the secondment) for postdoctoral researchers with digital technology company Everyware. The postdoctoral researcher seconded to this project will benefit from Working within an entrepreneurial environment and the exposure to all aspects of the operating business (customer interaction, business analysis, data analysis, technology, software development and marketing). The secondee will gain Software development experience and working on solving a real-world problem.

This project will be ideal for a postdoctoral researcher in software development, with an interest in sensors and Internet of Things (IoT).

About Everyware

In 2015, the co-founders of Everyware considered the digital future of the enterprise believing in the promise of the Internet of Things. Recognising the opportunity they set forth to build a digital business platform. This base platform would enable the enterprise of the future to realise the true value of optimised asset management.

Upon the journey we embraced innovation and created an array of customised sensors for a wide range of customers across key industry verticals, each having a unique set of circumstances and variables to consider. Today, we deliver a comprehensive suite of managed services, including IoT solutions, which are unified across our proven digital business platform.

We have grown in the areas of digital asset tracking within the Healthcare, Industrial Safety, Wildlife and Maritime sectors providing business intelligence software and innovation services which deliver asset utilization and performance data needed across the enterprise. We are known for enabling our customers to catapult their digital transformation journey to new heights through collaboration with our Innovation Services teams around the globe.

Project Background

The Challenge: Extending the lifespan of buildings reduces the frequency of new construction work, and this minimizes carbon emissions from component/element manufacturing and construction activities. The recent Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) failures have led to School and Hospital closures. Poor RAAC maintenance facilitated by the lack of longitudinal and integrated survey data has threatened the lifespan of these critical assets.  A typical hospital, for example, has around 10,000 RAAC panels and 44 NHS hospitals have been identified as containing RAAC. To extend the lifespan of these critical assets whilst ‘Living with RAAC’, there is a need for an integrative data-driven RAAC monitoring tool and process to manage risks proactively.

The Solution: Everyware Limited has partnered with Loughborough University and West Suffolk NHS Trust to develop an integrative static and dynamic data-driven software tool to monitor and manage changes in RAAC. The solution leverages a wide range of data sources from sensors, manual survey data and computer vision AI to provide a level of intelligence unlike any other currently available on the market today. Based on the information collected, each RAAC panel will be assigned an individual risk score to help manage RAAC on a day-to-day basis for small and large sites. Computer vision and AI will be used to help intelligently highlight and predict potential structural failings within the RAAC material before they happen. Based on expertise and research from Loughborough University, a surveying app will be developed to guide and train surveyors responsible for checking RAAC on a regular basis.

Job Purpose

Everyware is seeking a suitable candidate to join the Everyware Technical Development team to help develop a digital RAAC data capture tool for mitigating risk and proactively monitoring their RAAC panels. The role includes (but not limited to):

• Define requirements and specify a suite of RAAC-monitoring tools.
• Develop some key features of the RAAC toolset.
• Work closely with academic researchers, technologists and teams within the NHS responsible for managing and looking after RAAC.
• Where necessary, visit RAAC sites to understand the RAAC situation.

Secondment Details

Number of secondments: This advert is for one secondment.

Duration: This secondment is three months in duration at full-time, depending on the secondee’s availability (or prorated for part-time equivalent).

Location: Hybrid working with periodic in-person meetings at Loughborough University or at the host offices in Warwickshire. Some site visits may be required.

Salary: University Pay Scale Spine 27 to 38 (£33,966 to £46,974 p.a. prorated for duration of post), depending on current postdoctoral researcher salary. Please note that university overheads will not be paid due to the developmental opportunity this presents to the postdoctoral researcher to undertake an industrial secondment. Expenses related to authorised travel for this secondment will be covered.

Special Conditions

This industrial placement is open to postdoctoral researchers based at C-DICE universities. In exceptional cases, final year PhD students (PGRs) will be considered. Successful candidates will be required to seek permission from their supervisor and employing organisation to undertake the secondment. The project will commence as soon as possible. In cases where participation in this secondment would require a no-cost extension to an EPSRC grant, EPSRC has agreed to grant this automatically on request.

All staff have a statutory responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves, others and the environment and to prevent harm by their acts or omissions. All staff are therefore required to adhere to the Everyware Ltd Health, Safety and Environmental Policy & Procedures.

All staff should hold a duty and commitment to observing the Everyware Ltd Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy and procedures at all times. Duties must be carried out in accordance with relevant Equality & Diversity legislation and policies/procedures.

After the Secondment

• Confirmation of expenditure.
• Outcomes (e.g. publications, engagement activities) for impact tracking.
• A report highlighting key findings.
• The postdoc may be asked to engage with C-DICE events (e.g. Annual Conference or Business Engagement Events) and to lead a C-DICE training activity in their area of expertise.

Eligibility

Essential Criteria

• PhD in Computer Science, or related background
• Software Development, ideally an interest in full stack development from data integration to front-end development.
• Requirements Capture
• Data analysis
• Interest in sensors and IoT
• Must have the ability to work on their own but also confidence to work in a team setting 
• Ability to see the bigger picture whilst also focused on the attention to detail. 
• Strong communication skills to present ideas, vision and hurdles 
• Comfortable working within an entrepreneurial working environment.
• Capability to solve complex problems using initiative 

Desirable Criteria

• Agile software development methodology
• Computer vision AI
• Machine learning
• Python

Timeline

Deadline for applications	29 February 2024 at 16:00
Confirmation interviews	6 March 2024 after 14:00

How to Apply

Applications may be submitted any time before the deadline.

• Sign up to Inkpath.  Then affiliate your account to C-DICE.  For more details on how, click here.
• Apply via Inkpath using Activity Code DSAB0017 or click the button above.
• When you sign up for the activity, you will receive a link to an online application form.
• You will need:
  • Application details (education & employment background)
  • Cover letter stating your available start date (max 500 words)
  • CV

Supporting documents to be uploaded to Inkpath Activity DSAB0017. Any questions about the role or support in the application process should be emailed to C-DICE at a.beierholm@cdice.ac.uk and cc: enquiries@cdice.ac.uk.

Please note that if you are successful, your supervisor will be contacted for a letter/email of support.