Postdoctoral Research Associate

Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy

This new full time post is available from 1 April 2024 on a fixed term basis until 31 March 2026. This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

Summary of the role

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Dr Regan Early in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy and Dr John Clarke in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. This NERC-funded post is available for 2 years from 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2026. The successful applicant will undertake inter-disciplinary research encompassing conservation biology, ecology and the arts. The Associate will work within the project “Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach (RENEW)”. This project seeks to develop solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind, the renewal of biodiversity and involves 33 project partners. The programme includes academics and partners across environmental sciences, data science, environmental intelligence, social sciences, politics, humanities, business, and economics. This post will contribute to delivery of Theme 2, focussing on the role of human communities in biodiversity renewal.

The post entails analysing the ecological and social value of urban biodiversity. This work will assess the equity of access to such biodiversity and envision strategies to improve these within the UK. The post-holder will also investigate the role of community-led initiatives in urban biodiversity conservation, collaborate with poets to identify sentiments surrounding urban biodiversity in the creative arts, and create novel methods to integrate these into maps of biodiversity value. This research could be undertaken at multiple spatial scales, from local case-studies to UK-wide analysis. The post-holder will also arrange research group meetings and communicate the research group’s findings via our website.

We will work with you as far as possible to develop your own interests and support your career development. The post-holder will join the RENEW project community (https://renewbiodiversity.org.uk/ ) and Dr Early’s FABio research group (https://www.fabiogeography.com/ ), which are thriving, supportive fora for collaboration.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD (or be nearing completion) or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes.

Applicants should possess experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Spatial statistics
• Biogeography
• Landscape ecology or connectivity analysis
• Population modelling
• GIS
• Conservation planning

Applicants should possess an interest or experience (including lived or informal experience) in one or more of the following areas:

• Developing research questions and working with human communities, including individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, political, socio-economic, religious and demographic backgrounds, members of the LGBTQ+ community and Disabled people.
• Involvement of under-represented groups in biodiversity / environmental activities, or in any community-led initiatives.
• Contemporary poetry, poetics, classics, creative writing, critical analysis of text, or other elements of the creative arts.

• Inter-disciplinary research
• Urban ecology
• On-the-ground conservation efforts, for example habitat management, volunteering, data collection, etc...
• Experience engaging non-scientists in scientific research or ecology 

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career

• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Cornwall

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99% of our research is of international quality and 47% is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

Further information

Please contact Dr Regan Early, e-mail [email protected] .

Interviews are expected to take place on 27 February. 

We welcome applications from candidates interested in working part-time hours or job-sharing arrangements.