Research Associate in Ecological Impacts of Air Pollution

This post is fixed-term with a start date of 1^st February 2023 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and an end date of 31^st December 2024.

Working pattern: 100% FTE

Location: Main Campus

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented individual interested in a post-doctoral Research Associate to work on the project: Defragmenting the fragmented urban landscape (DEFRAG). This four-year project is funded via NERC’s research highlights programme, and is a collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield, Cranfield and Exeter, together the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the Alan Turing Institute (ATI). The overall objective of DEFRAG is to determine how urban ecosystem services emerge from bio-physical and bio-chemical interactions with grey, blue, and green infrastructure (GI) at multiple spatial scales. We are combining experiments, surveys and models to determine the processes linking air quality, water availability and biodiversity at multiple scales.

A major goal of DEFRAG is to identify and quantify the direct and indirect impacts of air pollution and other urban stressors on plant and insect communities. As part of this goal, we wish to recruit a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (2 years) to: i) design and implement manipulative experiments to test the direct and indirect effects of air pollution on diverse plant and insect species; and ii) conduct analytical studies of how air pollution affects the metabolomes of urban plants.  The cascading ecological effects of pollutants on trophic interactions remain poorly understood; you will have the opportunity to take a leading role in this novel research field.

Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant scientific discipline (ecology, chemical ecology, plant science, plant ecophysiology etc), or equivalent experience, along with a track record in ecology, plant science, chemical ecology or a related discipline (e.g., analytical chemistry, metabolomics, urban ecology), and you will have demonstrable experience in conducting empirical research with insects, plants and/or their interactions.

This role requires the ability to work in a diverse, interdisciplinary research team addressing a range of interrelated research questions, and you will help build strong links with academic and non-academic stakeholders.

You will contribute to the school’s excellent reputation in conducting world leading ecological research (ranked 4th in REF2021), and the wider university’s strategy of contributing solutions to major societal challenges, specifically designing sustainable urban environments. You will also be expected to participate in Researcher Development Programmes in order to learn and enhance academic and research skills. This role provides the opportunity to contribute to departmental activities including attending and organising seminar programmes, contributing to undergraduate teaching, project work and field courses along with supervising PhD and Masters students.

We’re one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK. The University’s Total Reward Package includes a competitive salary, a generous Pension Scheme and annual leave entitlement, as well as access to a range of learning and development courses to support your personal and professional development.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

To find out what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work, watch this short film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LblLk18zmo, and follow @sheffielduni and @ShefUniJobs on Twitter for more information.

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