Postdoctoral Research Associate

Working at Durham University  

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.   

The Role and Department

The Department of Geography at Durham comprises 68 academic staff (approximately equally divided between physical and human geography), a graduate school of around 100 research students, around 40 taught postgraduate students and more than 650 undergraduates. The Department is well supported with technical staff, including a cartography unit, and administrative staff.

  The Department was ranked joint first for research quality among UK geography departments in REF2021 and third for research power. With 54% of work assessed as being in the highest category, it produced the largest number of world-leading (4*) publications in the country. The most recent QS rankings for Geography placed Durham 7th overall in the world, its 5th year in the top ten, and 1st for citations in the discipline. The department is recurrently ranked in the top handful of programmes in the UK by various league tables; in 2016, we were ranked 2nd in the Times Good University Guide and 3rd in both the Complete University Guide and the Guardian University Guide.

The Department of Geography, Durham University, is seeking to appoint a full-time Grade 7 post-doctoral research assistant (PDRA) for 3 years to work on a NERC-funded project aimed at understanding the historic and future impact of changing Antarctic outlet glaciers and associated sea ice conditions upon emperor penguin colonies.  

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Antarctic remote sensing with a particular emphasis on mapping the movements of emperor penguin colonies and the associated glacier terminus and sea ice conditions over time. The project is led by Professors Stewart Jamieson and Chris Stokes at Durham University, UK, Dr Peter Fretwell at the British Antarctic Survey, and Stephanie Jenouvrier at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA.

The appointee will have expertise in remote sensing of the cryosphere and will primarily work on collecting data to determine recent movements of penguin colonies in the vicinity of marine-terminating outlet glaciers and ice shelves in Antarctica. Experience of remote sensing techniques and software is essential and the PDRA will be expected to analyse relationships between ice and penguins in a spatial manner. They will also synthesise and prepare data that will be integral to the numerical modelling component of the project. An understanding of some or all of: ice sheet dynamics/outlet glaciers, seabird ecology and numerical modelling would be an advantage. The appointee will be fully involved in the authorship of publications with the project team (including lead-authored papers) and will also be expected to participate in a range of dissemination activities, such as international conferences, and including activities with non-specialist audiences.

Key responsibilities:

·         To collect and analyse a wide range of freely available and commercial satellite imagery, including multispectral and radar data to map emperor penguin colonies, sea ice and glacier conditions (including terminus position, iceberg calving, sea-ice concentrations, sea ice breakouts and ice velocities) around Antarctica.

·         To produce an open access dataset of penguin colony movement and associated ice conditions through time.

·         To use spatial and statistical methods to quantify glacier/sea-ice impacts on penguin colony behaviour.

·         Collate existing datasets relating to ocean-climate conditions at colony locations.

·         To work with our project partner to incorporate the data in numerical models of future penguin colony viability.

·         To conduct individual and collaborative research under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.

·         Work well as part of a multi-institution research team and manage data exchange with Co-Investigators and Project Partners.

·         Write clear and concise accounts of their research progress.

·         To prepare and deliver presentations on research to academic and non-academic audiences.

·         Write and present research papers and publications, both as lead-author and collaboratively for submission to international peer-reviewed journals.

·         Work collaboratively with the team to achieve research project objectives, whilst taking responsibility for developing personal research objectives within the overall context of the project and under the broad direction of the PI.

·         To assist with the development of research objectives.

·         To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.

·         To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.

·         To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.

·         There may be opportunities to contribute to learning and teaching, but this is not an expectation.

·         To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.

·         To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.

·         To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

This post is fixed term for 3 years and the funding is available from 16/02/2024 for this fixed period only.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year – please include or delete if not applicable. 
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Stewart Jamieson, Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE; Tel: +44 191 334 1990; Email: [email protected] .  All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected]  

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above.

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will include a short presentation on your research experience and an interview.  Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment on a date to be confirmed. 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification 

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

Experience

Skills

Desirable Criteria:

Experience

Skills