Research Assistant Cosmetics and Personal Care

The opportunity

London College of Fashion (UAL), in collaboration with a biotech company and a cosmetics brand, have been awarded an Innovate UK grant to test novel yeast-derived tropical oil and butter substitutes in personal care and cosmetics formulations.
Tropical oils, such as palm oil and cocoa butter, are in over 50% of our supermarket products. However, tropical oils are some of the biggest carbon emitters, due to tropical rainforest and peatland loss to make way for plantations - palm oil contributes over 500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, over 1% of global emissions, from 19 million hectares of tropical land. 
This has caused significant habitat loss for many species; but there is no existing alternative for ingredients like palm oil or cocoa butter, that offer similar performance.

The Research Assistant will support a collaborative project between UAL and the two partners, focused on testing novel substitutes for tropical oils and butters in personal care and cosmetic formulations. They will contribute to the design and execution of ingredient & formulation experiments, analyse results, and help identify optimal compositions for future product development. The role involves close collaboration with academic and industry partners, participation in project meetings, and assistance with reporting and dissemination. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to sustainable innovation in cosmetics through hands-on research and engagement with leading experts in the field.

Your profile

We are seeking a highly organised professional, who is capable of working independently in an interdisciplinary environment. You will have proficiency in design of experiments and experience in cosmetics and personal care product development. You will be confident in physical characterisation methods for materials, preferably rheology and texture analysis. 

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) generates and inspires the creativity the world needs for a better future. Since 1842, our colleges have been defining creative education. With curiosity, imagination and intent we make work which creates lasting change for people and our planet. London is core to who we are, a place where we meet and share ideas with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Our creative network influences learning, culture, industry and society on a global scale. Our academics and practitioners deliver creative education and inspire new ways of thinking through research and innovation. We work with students at every level from pre-degree and short courses to postgraduate and online learning, enabling them to build the careers they want. Together, we are a community of makers, thinkers, pioneers and storytellers redesigning the future.

As a University, we are ranked second in the world for Art and Design. We are formed of 6 Colleges with unique histories and identities: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. UAL also has 4 Institutes, 5 Research Centres, 1 Pre-Degree School and 2 subsidiary companies delivering specialist activities.

We are a global University, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. We aim to be a university where people can be themselves and feel supported to reach their full potential. That’s why we are proud to hold a Bronze Award from the Race Equality Charter (REC), are members of the Business Disability Forum and Employers for Carers, and maintain our status as a Disability Confident Scheme and Living Wage employer.

Application process

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Thus, you will need to create an account and submit an application through our job board. As part of this, you will need to provide a supporting statement/answer some competency questions to demonstrate your suitability. Our recruitment process involves: Application, Shortlisting, Interview and Assessment, Offer, Onboarding.

We understand the benefits of using AI in work. But, if you are thinking of using it to submit an application, we ask you to think about what value it adds. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

If we receive a high volume of applications, the closing day date might close early. We aim to communicate any changes to the closing date with at least 24 hours’ notice. If you have any general questions or have accessibility needs, please refer to our Contact us page.

Start your application

Candidates are advised to submit applications early.