The School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences invites you to apply for the post of Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth. SoGEES employs staff across a wide range of research areas, and enjoys excellent support from well-resourced laboratory and geospatial analysis facilities. As well as breadth and depth within SoGEES, we have strong academic links across the institution with, for example, the University's Marine Institute and the cross-disciplinary Sustainable Earth Institute. This is an exciting chance to be part of a progressive and cutting-edge University in a beautiful location, working within a collaborative, timely project that can make a difference.
We are looking to appoint a postdoctoral Research Fellow to conduct collaborative research on the NERC-CONCYTEC research project "Integrated upstream and downstream thinking to mitigate the water security challenges of Peruvian glacier retreat". Taking a basin-wide water-food-energy-environment nexus approach in the Santa River Basin, Peru, this project aims to (1) close critical process knowledge gaps in dynamics of water budget change linked to glacial retreat, connectivity between upstream change and downstream consequence and the sources and fluxes of water, sediment, and contaminants during high and low flows, and (2) build a stakeholder decision support framework for mitigation and adaption strategies to both rebalance ecosystem service provision regarding water supply and mitigate downstream impacts.
You will work in collaboration with Dr Caroline Clason, Professor Will Blake, and Professor Iain Stewart at the University of Plymouth, in addition to project partners at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and in Peru.
It is essential that you have a PhD (or are close to completing a PhD) in a field relevant to catchment science and/or glaciology, and that you are willing to conduct multiple field seasons in Peru which may involve extended stays of multiple weeks. Independent travel will form a central part of the project so it is desirable, but not essential that you hold a driving licence.
It is desirable that you should have experience of working in glaciated regions, with relevant knowledge of water and sediment dynamics in the context of glacier-fed basins. Experience of contaminants in the context of catchment environmental quality would also be beneficial.
You should have a positive attitude towards interdisciplinary research, working within a large collaborative team, and working closely with a range of stakeholders. It is also essential that you feel comfortable in undertaking the day-to-day management of a large research project.
Please demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.
For an informal discussion or to find out more about the role, please contact Dr Caroline Clason by email: caroline.clason@plymouth.ac.uk or telephone on 01752 584873.
Interviews are expected to take place on week beginning 1st April 2019 and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted or not.
This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for a period of 32 months due to funding.
We offer a competitive salary package and a generous pension and holiday scheme. We also offer a range of other benefits, including ongoing development opportunities.
The University of Plymouth is committed to equality of opportunity, promoting a diverse and inclusive culture, demonstrated through our commitment to the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and as a Stonewall diversity champion. All applications will be judged solely on merit, however, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented in the workforce, for example black and minority ethnic groups.
University of Plymouth holds a TEF (Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework) Silver by the Office for Students.
Job Description