Senior Research Associate

Applications are invited for the post of Senior Research Associate to join a consortium of scientists investigating the primary removal mechanism of molecular hydrogen (H2) from the atmosphere, the so-called ‘soil H2 sink’. Presently, this important terrestrial process is poorly constrained, and it is unclear how the sink will respond to increasing atmospheric H2 in a changing climate, thus making predictions of future H2 atmospheric impacts highly uncertain.

The ELGAR project (The Enigma of the Soil Hydrogen Sink Variability), recently funded through the NERC’s "Environmental response to hydrogen emissions" programme, aims to better quantify the soil H2 sink through a combination of laboratory-based experiments and field observations to be used by atmospheric modelers to develop robust forecasts of the impact of future H2 levels.

In this post, you will build and deploy instrumentation to accurately measure atmospheric H2 mole fractions in ambient air at the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory on the north Norfolk coast. Additionally, you will be responsible for the planning and delivery of field experiments conducted throughout the East Anglian region to help quantify the strength of the soil H2 sink for different soil types and soil conditions (e.g., Thetford Forest).

The successful candidate will have:

• A Ph.D. (or equivalent professional experience or qualification) in the research area or a related topic.
• A track record in making high-precision measurements of atmospheric trace gases.
• A full UK driver’s license (reasonable adjustments will be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010).
• A track record of contribution to scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• The ability to work in a team and autonomously.
• The ability to meet all the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Please note, the post will involve occasional out-of-hours working at field stations in East Anglia, UK (e.g., Weybourne and Thetford Forest).

This full-time post is available immediately, for a fixed term period of 20 months and must end 9November 2024.

We strongly encourage applicants from all those from Black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds and welcome applications from all protected groups as defined by the Equality Act 2010. An appointment will be made on merit.

Closing Date: Thursday 9 February 2023

To apply for this vacancy, please follow the online instructions via 'Apply'.

The University is committed to diversifying its workforce. As examples, we already hold an Athena SWAN Silver Institutional Award in recognition of our advancement towards gender equality. We also have a Vice-Chancellor led Taskforce on Tackling Racism and a Race Equality Charter Working Group which support our work on race equality. Our aim is to submit to the Race Equality Charter in 2024.

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