Postdoctoral Researcher – Circular Design Toolbox Project (full time and fixed term for 8 months from 1.11.26)

Circular Design Toolbox Project – Proof of Concept

Would you like to be part of a major research initiative working at the Centre for Materials Science & Culture to help transform our Circular Design Toolbox (CDT) into a commercially available product ready for licensing, pilots and seed investment?

The Circular Design Toolbox (CDT) project is funded by the UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept 2026 scheme. The Toolbox was developed from the research of the Textiles Circularity Centre into circular design strategies including:

Materials Circularity to innovate circular bio-based textiles (resulting in the Circular Materials Design Toolkit and the Maintaining Materials Toolkit);
Consumer Experience to position these materials in circular experiences that slow down consumption by satiating human wellbeing needs (resulting in the Circular Experience Toolkit); and
Circular Supply Chains which put these strategies into a relationship in the form of a local supply chain design (resulting in the Circular System Toolkit).
The overarching objectives will be to:

(1) to develop and evaluate one pilot programme with our partners Two Lives London and their supply chain partners

(2) produce a set of case studies that would enable the Centre to identify and specify a full commercialisation proposition including an IP licensing framework

3) to develop a minimum viable digital platform prototype to demonstrate scalable CDT delivery.