Post Doctoral Research Officer - EcoWIND PELAgIO

Applications are invited for the above fixed term, full-time Post-doctoral Research Officer post working in The School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University.

The successful applicant will work alongside project partners (University of Aberdeen, ERI, NOC, Marine Scotland Science, PML, RPSB) in the NERC funded ECOWind PELAgIO project (https://ecowind.uk/projects/pelagio/). PELAgIO focusses on estimating ecosystem-level impacts of offshore windfarm (OWF) expansion and climate change by understanding mechanistic links from physics to prey to predator. The successful applicant will focus on potential impacts on seabird communities in the North Sea; specifically, they will combine physical, echosounder, biologging and at-sea observation data to: (1) understand how oceanography influences prey availability for seabirds, and (2) predict how oceanographic changes associated with OWF and climate-change could impact prey availability for seabird species. Analyses concerns several spatiotemporal scales, ranging from regional-scale (1-100km) analyses of novel and simultaneous data being collected around OWF to shelf-scale (>1000 km) analyses of existing data being collated around the North Sea. These data are provided by aforementioned project partners but also external collaborators. Therefore, PELAgIO provides exciting opportunities to address fundamental ecological questions concerning distribution and habitat-use, and to apply this knowledge in marine management.

Candidates should be educated to PhD standard (or equivalent) or be near to completion in Marine Ecology. Experience in the processing and amalgamation of large and diverse data is essential, with experience in combining oceanographic and biological data being desirable. Previous applications of advanced statistical analyses (e.g., GLMM, GAMM) in ‘R’ are also essential, with previous applications of marine Species Distribution (SDM) / Ecological Niche Models (ENM) being desirable. Knowledge of movement analyses on biologging data and ‘Distance’ analyses on at-sea observation data are also desirable. Aside from these technical abilities, comprehensive knowledge of European seabird ecology, European marine fish ecology and previous participation in multi-disciplinary projects are positives. In addition to project commitments, the postholder is encouraged to supervise PGT/PGR students and will have opportunities to obtain teaching qualifications. There are also opportunities to contribute to fieldwork and collaborate with complementary projects (POSIEDON, ACCELERATE). Presentations at international conferences and project meetings is expected, and contribution to peer-reviewed publications as lead and co-author is anticipated.

Please address any questions to Dr James Waggitt (j.waggitt@bangor.ac.uk).

The successful candidates will be expected to commence on 5 February 2024 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and the post is available until 31 July 2025.

This role will be located on campus at Menai Bridge. Through our Dynamic Working framework, there will also be the option to spend some time working remotely (although remaining in the UK) to support work life balance, which will be discussed further with candidates at interview.

Applications will also be considered to carry out this role on a part-time or job share basis.

Applications will only be accepted via our on-line recruitment website, jobs.bangor.ac.uk. However, in cases of access issues due to disability, paper application forms are available by telephoning 01248 383865.

Committed To Equal Opportunities

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