Researcher in Micromobility Visualisation and Simulation

College of Science and Engineering

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of research and industry, delivering impactful outcomes that shape the future.

Job details

Responsible to

PVC/Dean, College of Science and Engineering

Location

Markeaton Street, Derby Campus

Closing date

Monday 19 January 2026

Salary

£29,588 to £37,999 per annum

Job grade

Researcher

Reference

0271-25

Contract type

Fixed term contract 18 months

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Here at the University of Derby, the College of Science and Engineering is the home STEM, the skills that are essential to the UK’s Industrial Strategy. From digitisation to decarbonisation, we have an important role to play in shaping the future. And by researching or collaborating with us, you can too. 

The College brings together a powerful combination of scientific expertise, technological innovation, and creative practice. With disciplines spanning computing, AI, Data Science, engineering, environmental sciences, built environments and Psychology. We are uniquely positioned to solve real-world challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Our courses are designed with employability and future industry needs in mind, supported by cutting-edge facilities, strong employer partnerships, and a commitment to sustainability. Through applied research and hands-on learning, we equip students and staff to drive progress in areas that matter most; from smart technology to clean energy, advanced manufacturing to immersive design. 

We are seeking a Researcher to join an exciting collaborative project in partnership with Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK), a leading global industry partner. This role combines applied research with practical development, focusing on innovative solutions that address real-world challenges.

This project will support the development of a new, lightweight Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) at TMUK's Burnaston site. The vehicle will meet the rising demand for eco-friendly micro-mobility with features including a solar roof, advanced connectivity, and sustainable materials ensuring end of recovery and recycling. It supports the UK's move to zero-emission transport, boosts the supply chain, and secures jobs at TMUK. By developing a ready-to-produce design, the project opens new market opportunities and positions the UK as a leader in sustainable urban mobility and advanced automotive manufacturing.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) has funded this £30.3 million project through the UK Government’s DRIVE35 Collaborate programme, and aims to meet the evolving needs of urban populations while accelerating the shift to zero tailpipe emission transport by validating a novel, lightweight battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the L6e category.

The University of Derby will play a critical role in the project, leading on real-world testing and analysis, leveraging its expertise in micromobility user behaviour and solar energy viability. Together, the consortium partners are studying how to shape a smarter and more sustainable future for urban mobility across Europe. Acting as a ‘living lab,’ the University will evaluate how the BEV fits evolving patterns of sustainable urban mobility and assess its potential to transform city transport.

As micromobility becomes central to the future of urban transport, this study marks a vital step toward understanding and meeting the evolving mobility needs of city populations, while accelerating the shift toward reduced congestion emissions and enhanced urban accessibility. The research aligns with the University of Derby’s flagship Derby Urban Sustainable Transport Transition (DUST) project, focused on enhancing the city’s green spaces and promoting low-carbon mobility.

By applying innovations in data-centric engineering, market demand opportunities along with user engagement and experience, we will explore how novel technologies will be adopted and accepted such that micromobility reaches the most appropriate users and locations, maximising accessibility and effectiveness.

As a Researcher involved in this project, you will contribute ideas, carry out research, development and tests. You will also support student supervision, contribute to project planning and reporting, and present your research findings. The position involves close collaboration with academic colleagues, engineers, and industry partners, contributing to publications, demonstrations, and stakeholder engagement.

This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of research and industry, delivering impactful outcomes that shape the future.

For this role, we are looking for a researcher with strong background and experience in the design, development and application of immersive XR technologies in creating simulated environments. Ideally, prior experience in applying such capabilities in automotive sectors would be preferable, however application into other environments may also be relevant. This role will also involve the gathering of user experiences and feedback as to inform real-world interactions. You will hold a PhD (or be close to completion) in a relevant discipline or have equivalent experience in the deployment of immersive technologies in user experiences, simulation and engagement.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate engagement in high-quality research activity within immersive technologies and have experience producing publications for academic journals and presenting findings at conferences.

You will bring developing research skills and the ability to creatively apply relevant approaches, models, and techniques to complex challenges. Strong collaboration skills are essential, and the ability to build effective relationships and work closely with colleagues both internally and externally are critical to the success of the project.

  1. Through collaboration and co-creation, design, develop and deploy immersive environments for the simulation of the intended micromobility platform that meets the requirements of the research work package and Toyota as an industry partner.
  2. Develop user experience feedback systems that provide insights which lead to enhancements and expedite the acceptance and adoption of new micromobility technologies.
  3. Integrate the design and deployment of digital models of physical asset into the DUST model such that it can be used to demonstrate the application of the micromobility platform within the urban landscape.
  4. Explore means of data integration into the DUST model such that it advances the capabilities towards digital twinning.
  5. Develop and maintain data models, schemas, asset development files and documentation to ensure data quality, consistency and reproducibility across the project.
  6. Implement appropriate approaches to data security, privacy and governance (e.g. access control, anonymisation/pseudonymisation, compliance with GDPR and contractual requirements).
  7. Collaborate with Toyota and other project stakeholders to gather requirements, refine use-cases, and co-design user journeys and system features.
  8. Design and conduct technical experiments and user evaluations of the application, analysing results and feeding them back into iterative development.
  9. Contribute to the preparation of high-quality research outputs, including journal and conference publications, technical reports, demonstrators, and presentations to academic, industry and public audiences.
  10. Support project management activities, including planning, risk identification, progress reporting, and coordination with other work packages.
  11. Contribute to the supervision and mentoring of postgraduate and undergraduate students working on related topics (e.g. dissertations, internships).
  12. Engage proactively with the wider research group and College, contributing to seminars, workshops and collaborative bids where appropriate.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

  • PhD (or close to completion) in Computer Games Animation/ Computer Games Programming/ Hard Surface Modelling/ XR / Immersive Simulations or a closely related discipline, or equivalent professional experience at an advanced level in digitisation and animation of physical assets and immersive environments within industry or research settings.

Experience

  • Demonstrable experience in designing, developing and deploying modern applications, preferably via XR and immersive environment and/or rich web applications and animations.
  • Proven experience of user experience engineering and innovation deployment: building digital models of physical assets along with the development of immersive application.
  • Experience of using and integrating relevant software and hardware platforms with the objective to maximise the technologies to enrich user-interfaces, user experience of immersive and simulated environments.
  • Experience using computer games animation software and hard surface rendering techniques.
  • Experience of being involved in the scoping of a design brief and how you engaged with the client to develop and deploy the sought after solution
  • Evidence of working with real-world data sets, ideally in mobility, transport, smart cities, or IoT domains (e.g. GPS traces, sensor data, vehicle telemetry, open data portals) with a view of greater integration and end-user experience enhancement.
  • Experience of collaborating in multidisciplinary or industry-partnered projects, ideally involving external stakeholders such as automotive or mobility companies.
  • A track record of producing high-quality research or technical outputs (e.g. peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, open-source software, or demonstrators).

Skills, knowledge & abilities

  • Strong computer animation software engineering skills, including asset version control, deployment testing, documentation and collaborative development workflows
  • Excellent computer aided design skills through computer games modelling, hard surface rendering or similar technologies and platforms.
  • High level of experience and competency in using computer games platforms, such as Unreal Engine, for the deployment of digital animations.
  • Knowledge of XR immersive user experience tools and practices including both software deployment and hardware platforms.
  • Understanding of user-centred design principles and the ability to work with designers and stakeholders to translate user needs into application features and workflows.
  • Good awareness of data security, privacy and governance, including basic understanding of GDPR and security-by-design principles.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose technical issues, propose solutions, and evaluate trade-offs between different architectures or technologies.
  • Ability to communicate complex technical and research concepts clearly and effectively to both specialist and non-specialist audiences, verbally and in writing.
  • Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deliver to deadlines, and maintain accurate records of work for both research and reporting purposes.
  • Demonstrable ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team, showing initiative, flexibility and a collaborative mindset.
  • Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with colleagues, internally and externally.

Business requirements

  • Demonstrate competences, core behaviours and supplementary behaviours that support and promote the University’s core value.
  • Flexible to the needs of others.
  • Committed to ensuring a high-quality student experience.
  • Committed to a high-performance culture, fostering continuous improvement and driving quality.
  • Able to take a flexible approach to work
    • Travel between sites and occasionally overseas for work.
    • Some evening and occasional weekend work.
  • A DBS check may be required during the tenure of the role.

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

  • Additional qualification or training in transport planning, urban analytics, human–computer interaction, service design, or project management.
  • Generous annual leave entitlement of 47 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
  • Teacher’s Pension Scheme
  • Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
  • Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
  • Discounted onsite gym
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • A flexible working environment
  • A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Professor Chris Bussell, Pro Vice Chancellor / Dean, College of Science and Engineering via C.Bussell@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

This role may be eligible for sponsorship by the University.

The offered salary for this role is less than the going rate for the occupation and the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£41,700 per annum, as of 22nd July 2025). Therefore you will only be eligible to apply for a Skilled Worker visa subject to your individual circumstances which must meet one of the following criteria set out by UKVI:

  • Your job is on the Immigration Skills List
  • You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
  • You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job
  • You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

You must also meet the English Language requirement.

Please note that the University will assess your individual eligibility for sponsorship at the shortlisting stage.

For more information, visit Applying from Overseas.

 

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

Read more about equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby.

 

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

 

Be part of something extraordinary, apply now.

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Further details

Download Researcher in Micromobility Visualisation and Simulation job descriptionDownload Researcher in Micromobility Visualisation and Simulation job description

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Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy.