Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy (Department of Geography)

This new full time post is available from 1 February 2024 on a fixed term basis until 1 September 2025. This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

Summary of the role

We are seeking an outstanding, highly motivated and committed Postdoctoral Research Fellow to provide quantitative research capacity in the DECIPHER and EEIST projects.

The EEIST 2 project is led by the University of Exeter. The project seeks to improve the energy-economy model E3ME-FTT used to inform climate change mitigation scenarios and climate policy-making. Some of the development with be done in co-production with Indian partners. Improvements will focus on including fertilisers in the model, and creating better interactions between sectors.

DECIPHER is a multi-institutional project led by E3Modelling in Greece, with partners including IIASA and TUD. The project seeks to improve decision-making processes for EU’s environmental policy, by making it more transparent and representative of reality. A key theme will the improvement of large macro-economic models to better reflect innovation and non-linear dynamics.

Both projects seek to develop, improve and use the global macroeconometric and evolutionary model E3ME-FTT, in collaboration with the consultancy Cambridge Econometrics. Improvement will focus on innovation in the context of scenarios of emissions reductions and climate change. The role may also involve the development of smaller ‘proof-of-concept’ models, such as those exploring complexity-based models or patent networks.

More information on the research can be found at https://eeist.co.uk/ .  

About you

The successful applicant will be able to operate and improve complex and data-intensive models of the earth or energy system, ideally with knowledge of technological change, innovation, energy use and climate change. The candidate will possess strong mathematical, data analysis and programming abilities. The candidate will have experience of non-linear dynamical systems.

The successful applicant will also be able to define research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related strongly quantitative field of study such as physics, economics, ecology, applied mathematics, engineering or other related fields of study. The successful applicant will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required.

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 Devon.

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 Femke Nijsse, [email protected] and Prof Tim Lenton, [email protected] .

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