Eweekeurope.co.uk has reported that Google chairman Eric Schmidt believes the UK to be throwing away its science and technology heritage.
Schmidt criticised the lack of effort put into trying to ignite young people’s passion for science, particularly IT, which is not compulsory past fourteen. The IT courses available at GCSE level were also criticised for teaching how to use, not how to create software. Schmidt believes the answer is to recombine art and science, as was the norm in the Victorian era. Authors such as Lewis Carroll are cited as examples; he taught maths at Cambridge whilst writing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The Google chairman went on to add that the separation of science and humanities, and the lack of championing of the science subjects in schools, is hurting the amount of students applying for undergraduate courses in science at university. Furthermore, though the UK sees a lot of small start-ups, most end up selling to large multi-national companies, something Schmidt says needs to change in order for Britain to re-emerge as a potential scientific leader
Naynesh Mistry at CK Science is looking to recruit an Internal Technical Service Representative, to join a Speciality Plastics Company at their site in the North West.
Responsibilities:
The principle responsibilities of thisInternal Technical Service Representative role will be:
Provide technical consultation support to internal customers and help with troubleshooting
Technical service contact for internal sales and distributors
Focal contact for complaints
Support field technical service and application development with trial preparations at customers
Backup of field technical service and application development during their holidays
Occasional travel to customers, main communication via phone and e-mail
Advice with testing needs for problem solving
Ability to work with people with different personalities and from different backgrounds
Qualifications:
The successful candidate for this Technical Service Representative role will ideally have:
BSc or MSc in polymer science, engineering or technology
Industry experience in plastics processing would be an advantage.
A deep understanding of co polyesters, cellulosics and processes relevant to speciality plastics would also be an advantage as would a solid understanding of conversion processes relevant to speciality plastics products such as extrusion, injection moulding.
How to apply:
For more information or to apply for this Internal Technical Service Representative role please contact Naynesh Mistry on 0114 2839956 or nmistry@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference SH22552 in all correspondence.
Our client is an innovative device manufacturer based in the North East of England. They require an experienced Technical Manager with experience of running multifaceted projects in X-ray instrumentation for medical imaging and airport security.
Responsibilities:
As Technical Manager, you will use your technical expertise to work closely with customers in delivering development projects on existing products and from scratch. This will involve managing teams, co-ordinating departments and resources, costing raw materials and overall project delivery and technical support.
Candidate requirements:
You must be qualified to minimum BSc in physics or engineering or possess equivalent industrial experience. You must also possess a strong track record in managing projects within X ray or similar technology.
Apply now
For more information or to apply for this Technical Manager position, please contact Barney Smith at CK Science on 191 394 8905 or email bsmith@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference DH21947 in all correspondence.
Our client provides measurement and analytical services for the Oil & Gas industry. They are looking for a Technical Manager to set the strategic direction and provide technical leadership for all UK OGC sites.
Responsibilities:
As Technical Manager, you will provide support to Operations and Commercial Managers in developing business opportunities and generating revenue while line managing the team locally. This will involve writing tenders, managing large scale M&I projects, assessing the value of new developments within M&I and perform high level specialist revenue earning measurement consultancy work.
Requirements:
To be considered for this Technical Manager role, you must be qualified to minimum HNC level in an engineering discipline or possess equivalent industrial experience and be a member of a relevant industry body. You must also possess a proven track record in managing projects and teams, business development and engineering within the Oil & Gas sector.
How to apply:
For more information or to apply for this Technical Manager position, please contact Barney Smith at CK Science on 0191 384 8905 or email bsmith@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference DH21880 in all correspondence.
According to LabNews.co.uk, approximately one in seven science and engineering academics currently in Higher Education are from outside the EU.
Therefore, the proposed immigration cap, which will limit the number of non-EU immigrants to 21,000, could restrain the number of talented scientists and engineers entering the UK.
In fact, according to The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), the cap will eliminate roughly a third of skilled worker visas but “if the rules are correctly calibrated, we hope that enough scientists and engineers with be able to enter the UK to meet the sector’s needs.”
In an attempt to salvage the situation, CaSE will be working in partnership with the UK Border Agency in order to help develop a system which can identify talent. This system is due to be published in April 2011. Skilled worker visas will be split into Tier 1 (Exceptional talent), Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT).
Tier 1: This will be limited to 1,000 people per year. These people will not need to have a job offer to enter the UK. CaSE are arguing for top scientists and engineers to be exempt from Tier 1.
Tier 2: These applications must be accompanied by a job offer, a degree-level qualification and intermediate level English. There will be 20,700 visas available throughout the year. Applications will be evaluated on the following:
The quality of the application
Whether the job is on the Shortage Occupation list (this includes many science and engineering professions)
The salary of their new job – this could cause problems for talented scientists and engineers as they will traditionally command lower salaries than people with equivalent skills. CaSE have stated, “We must not continue with a system where researchers are discriminated against because they choose a relatively low-paying career. Instead they should be selected on the basis of their ability to contribute to the UK.”
Tier 2 (ICT) – This will allow multinational companies to transfer their staff to the UK. This will not count towards the immigration cap.
As reported by Nature.com, science bodies in the UK have learnt that they will have to absorb cuts of 41% to their capital expenditure (funds put towards building, maintenance and equipment).
These science cuts will be added to those already announced by Chancellor George Osborne in October.
Speaking of the cuts, Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change stated, “this Government is committed to efficiency, prioritisation and reform. We shall delay capital investment to maximise investment in research projects and in people undertaking research”.
The government have assured that they will shield medical research and certain projects such as the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire and the proposed UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation in London. In addition, subscriptions to international programmes such as Cern and the European Southern Observatory will be maintained.
The science budget is also ring-fenced for the following four years, which according to Mr Willetts, will provide “stability, security and the ability to plan.”
A Project Manager is required to join an innovative Diagnostic and Medical Device organization based in Oxford, UK.
As Project Manager, you will be an integral link between Development and Manufacturing. You will manage project teams, ensuring the launch and industrialization of new products in line with key operational project deliverables.
The main responsibilities of this Project Manager job will include people management of project teams as well as ensuring supply chain, manufacturing processes; equipments, logistics and quality frameworks are defined and put in place.
This is an outstanding opportunity to join an innovative and rapidly expanding Diagnostic and Medical Device organisation, which in return offers an attractive salary and benefits package.
The ideal candidate for this Project Manager position will either be an Engineer or Physical Scientist. You will have a degree in a relevant Engineering or Scientific discipline (or equivalent) and demonstrated project management experience of taking products to market / New Product Introduction (NPI) including knowledge of Product Development, Quality and Manufacturing functions. Experience gained within a Medical Device, Instrumentation or Diagnostic industry would be highly advantageous for this Project Manager role, but it is not essential.
Apply now
For more information,or to apply for this Porject Manager position, please contact Andrew Bolton at CK Science on 01438 723 500 or email abolton@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference ST19991 in all correspondence.
A Materials Scientist is required to join an industry expert in providing consultancy surrounding materials research for the Oil & Gas industry. As Materials Scientist you will join the company’s project research team based at their Testing and Development facilities in Hertfordshire, UK.
Working as part of project based research teams, as a Materials Scientist you will be involved in the testing of polymer based materials (rubber, plastic, elastomer etc.) including exploring the effects of mechanical, environmental and chemical conditions/substances on the materials. As you will be working with a consultancy organization, as a Materials Scientist you will be required to work closely with clients regarding results and findings.
This is an outstanding opportunity to work with the industry leading consultancy specialising in materials based industries including Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Transport Technology.
To be considered for this Materials Scientist role, you will have the following qualifications and experience:
A BSc, PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemistry or a related Scientific or Engineering discipline (or equivalent)
Proven practical experience of testing polymer-based materials (rubber, plastic, elastomer) gained within the materials, chemical or a related industry.
Experience gained within a materials testing/analytical laboratory would be advantageous but it is not essential.
Apply Now
For more information, or to apply for this Materials Scientist job, please contact Andrew Bolton at CK Science on – 01438 723 500 or email abolton@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference ST19937 in all correspondence.
A Project Manager is required to join our client – an industry expert in providing consultancy surrounding materials research for the Oil & Gas industry based in Hertfordshire, UK.
As Project Manager you will join their project research team based from their Testing and Development facilities.
Working closely with clients across the Oil and Gas industries, working as a Project Manager you will be responsible for managing projects surrounding the use of polymeric materials including their behaviour under demanding conditions and/or use in oilfield applications. You will operate on a consultant basis including development and coordination of projects as well as offering technical expertise to both internal teams and clients.
This is an outstanding opportunity to work with the industry leading consultancy specialising in materials based industries including Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Transport Technology.
To be considered for this Project Manager role, you will hold the following qualifications and experience:
A BSc, PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemistry or a related Scientific or Engineering discipline (or equivalent).
A demonstrated knowledge of polymeric materials (plastics, rubber, elastomer etc).
A proven practical project management and commercial experience gained within the Oil & Gas, Materials Consultancy or a relevant industry.
Apply Now
For more information, or to apply for this Project Manager job now, please contact Andrew Bolton at CK Science on 01438 723 500 or email abolton@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference ST19936 in all correspondence.
As reported by BBC News, the UK government’s chief scientist, Professor John Beddington, has received a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Formerly the head of environmental sciences and technology at Imperial College in London, Professor Beddington was appointed to the role of chief scientist in 2008.
Beddington notoriously attracted a huge amount of media attention last year when he said the world would face a “perfect storm” by 2030 – by which he was referring to the impact of climate change on food, energy and water security.
Speaking of his knighthood, Beddington stated, “I am delighted by this honour, and particularly delighted because it recognises the importance of science and engineering in the UK.”
Other recipients of honours in the Queen’s birthday list included:
Professor Colin Humphreys, Director of research at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Material Sciences and Metallurgy.
Professor Athene Donald – Deputy Head of the Cavendish Laboratory and director of the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative at the University of Cambridge becomes a Dame for services to physics.
Professor Julia Goodfellow – Chief executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, also is made a Dame.
Eweekeurope.co.uk has reported that Google chairman Eric Schmidt believes the UK to be throwing away its science and technology heritage.
