Scientist - Forest Data

Reference number: 249994

Salary: £35,870 - £38,842

Job grade Higher Executive Officer/ Pay Band 4

Contract type: Permanent

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

Closing Date: Sunday 4th December 2022

Location: Alice Holt Research Station, GU10 4LH or Northern Research Station, EH25 9SY or Forestry Commission Office BS16 1EJ, with blended working available.

Job description

Forest Research seeks to appoint a Data Scientist with experience in environmental modelling, data processing and data analysis in R, to provide underpinning evidence and interpretation in support of robust climate change and land use policy. The Forest Data Scientist will lead on the development and delivery of data analysis and reporting for Tasks in the new Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy - Forest Research Memorandum of Understanding (BEIS-FR MOU) work programme. The Data Scientist will support the delivery of the forestry component of the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (UK GHGI) through leading on the automation of data compilation and processing (as R scripts). They will also undertake documentation and quality assurance of this process. The applicant will communicate this work verbally and in written reports to colleagues across FR, directly to policy leads in BEIS, the project Steering Group and external stakeholders. The applicant will, as a result, be trained to deliver the forestry component of the UK GHGI. The post holder will support tasks improving estimates of projected GHG emissions and removals by modelling the impacts of forest establishment, management and climate change on forestry projections.

The post holder will be a member of the Mensuration, Growth and Yield Science Group, within the Centre for Forest Management. The Centre uses applied interdisciplinary research to underpin the sustainable management of Britain’s trees, woods and forests. The work of the Science Group is focused on five main areas: tree and timber measurement; forest growth modelling; forest carbon balance modelling; evaluation of wood supply chains, and development of practical decision support tools. The research underpins scientific understanding of the contribution of forests to sustainable and secure wood supply, climate change mitigation, and reaching NetZero targets.

Person specification

The post holder will support modelling work for projects exploring land use change and ecosystem service provision with Defra and the Welsh Government: including how changes in woodland suitability under future climate projections – and the impact of woodland creation and management – affect land use economics and ecosystem service provision, including carbon balances.

The successful applicant will have a track record of delivering projects and disseminating science outcomes through reports and presentations to a range of audiences.

Essential Criteria

• Proficient R user, with experience of environmental data analysis, processing or modelling with large datasets
• Demonstratable ability to produce annotated and automated R scripts for data processing and reporting, experience managing code with robust version control
• A postgraduate degree in data, environmental or mathematical science, or equivalent experience
• Experience contributing to written reports for a wide range of audiences
• Ability to communicate in-person and on-line to audiences at all levels
• Demonstratable organisational skills and attention to detail
• Proven track record of collaborating and being a team player
• Proven ability to work independently
• Knowledge of forestry or an interest and willingness to learn

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in forestry modelling or data analysis
• Understanding of forest management and the forestry sector
• Experience developing systems for robust version control and archiving code