Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow

The starting salary for Associate will be from £31,411 on Grade E.

For Fellow it will be from £39,745 on Grade F, depending on qualifications and experience. 

This full time post is available immediately on a 2 year fixed term basis.

Summary of the role

The College wishes to recruit either a Postdoctoral Research Associate or Postdoctoral Research Fellow to support the work of Dr Kirsty Wan (https://micromotility.com). The candidate will work on two projects: a European Research Council funded Starting Grant project “EvoMotion” on basal cognition in motile, unicellular organisms (Horizon 2020 grant 853560), and a UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funded project on helical rheotaxis in microswimmers (BB/W00853X/1).

This post is available immediately, on a fixed-term basis for 2 years, with possible extension thereafter (subject to approval). The successful applicant will undertake mathematical and computational modelling of microorganism swimming and self-propulsion in low-Reynolds number environments.

The successful applicant will develop data-driven mathematical and computational models of motile organisms ranging from protists to small marine larvae, and investigate different control mechanisms for self-propulsion at these scales. This theoretical/computational researcher will work closely with and complement ongoing experimental investigations in the wider research group into the biophysics of motility in diverse species (www.micromotility.com/research).

This full-time role will be based at Exeter’s flagship Living Systems Institute (LSI), a major initiative designed to promote interdisciplinary research that transcends the boundaries of mathematics, physics and the biological, medical sciences. Its mission is to analyse living cells and organisms as integrated systems, to decode biological complexity across scales. The LSI also offers an exceptional training environment for early-career researchers, and boasts a thriving community of cross-faculty postdoctoral researchers.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD (or nearing completion for Associate) or equivalent qualification/experience in mathematics or similar field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in low-Reynolds number hydrodynamics and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. They should have a keen interest interdisciplinary research, and demonstrate a good understanding of soft matter or biological physics (broadly defined). Proficiency in scientific programming and previous experience in mathematical modelling of low-Reynolds number flows is essential.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

Further information

Please contact Dr Kirsty Wan, e-mail k.y.wan2@exeter.ac.uk or telephone (01392) 727447.

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