Job profile

Two Postdoctoral Research Fellows are required to work at the University of Plymouth (UoP) on this large multidisciplinary NERC funded project Biodegradable Plastics – Assessing Environmental Risk (BIO- PLASTIC – RISK). The project is led by Prof. Richard Thompson working together with researchers at the University of Bath (Dr Antoine Buchard and colleagues) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (Prof Pennie Lindeque, and colleagues) and external collaborators in industry and policy.  Both posts will be based in the International Marine Litter Research Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Plymouth.  

You will work alongside another fellow (Post 2, Environmental Chemistry - see A7561 for details ) as part of a larger team at UoP including: Dr Mick Hanley, Dr Anne Plessis, Dr George Littlejohn,  Dr Michael Cunliffe, Prof Richard Handy and Dr Lee Durndell and technical staff.

It is essential to have experience in the following:

• Ascertain the kinetics of degradation for biodegradable plastics in air, soil and water using environmental test rigs and laboratory experiments.
• Characterise any resultant particulates (shape, size, surface area) and leachates
• Examine microbial degradation of biodegradable plastics in laboratory mesocosms
• Examine the effects of biodegradable plastics, fragments and leachates on biota (terrestrial / marine invertebrates and terrestrial plants) and on ecological processes (e.g. nutrient cycling, bioturbation)
• To liaise with other team members regarding the development of analyses
• To assist with coordination of the project in general.
• To analyse and present the project and its outcomes to the research team, stakeholders, scientific and public audiences.
• To write research reports and manuscripts for publication
• To prepare materials such as web content, for ley audiences

You will join a leading international team examining the effects of plastic debris in the environment.  Led by Prof Richard Thompson (a marine biologist based in the Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre) this team were the first to describe the accumulation of microplastic in the ocean and have since been working to establish the environmental consequences of this debris.  The team have an excellent reputation for their work with papers in Science, Nature, Current Biology, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal society and many other leading scientific journals. Their work has directly informed industry and policy in the UK, EU and internationally.

You will be based at the University of Plymouth and will work as part of a wider team of academic and technical staff as well as research fellows at collaborating institutions. It is anticipated there will be especially close working with colleagues, at the nearby Plymouth Marine Laboratory where work will be coordinated by Prof Pennie Lindeque. 

You will have:

• Appropriate postgraduate academic qualification in a relevant field, usually a doctorate or recognised equivalent including professional accreditations and qualifications, for example BSc, MSc, PhD in Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Ecology, Plant Biology, Microbiology.
• Knowledge of a specific discipline sufficient to enable innovation and new understanding in the field: for example environmental sampling and identification of plastics from the environmental material (soil water, sediment), conducting laboratory and field biodegradation experiments in marine and/ or terrestrial environments, assessing microbial biodegradation, understanding of ecological processes.
• Track-record of published research at the appropriate level and of contributing to and/or developing collaborative research and stakeholder networks.
• Ability to plan, manage, organise and assess own research contributions.

For an informal discussion please contact Richard Thompson, Professor of Marine Biology e-mail rcthompson@plymouth.ac.uk

Please enclose your CV, including details of any publications together with your completed application form.

This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week on a fixed term basis for a period of 48 months due to funding, start date February 2021.

Interviews are likely to take place on 6^th January 2021.

Please note, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the University is currently implementing a number of safety measures as per Government advice therefore the successful applicant may be required to work from home in the first instance.

Flexible working options including job share will be considered.

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

Summary of Project