Research Assistant – Entomology

Fixed Term Appointment until October 2025 with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee.

Job summary

Want to work at the cutting edge of environmental science research? Passionate about making a difference and playing your part in tackling the climate and nature crises? Forest Research (FR) is a leading UK scientific research organisation that provides impactful scientific data, evidence and advice to policymakers and practitioners. Internationally recognised, we want to work with people who have the skills and passion to deliver impactful science which informs practical solutions across the sector.

We’re small enough that your voice is heard, yet large enough, as part of the Forestry Commission, that we have everything on hand to get the job done, as well as a variety of career pathways. Our staff are dedicated to their work and sharing it with others to bring positive change for our natural environment. With locations across the UK, you will find us a flexible and inclusive employer who promotes agile working to help you manage your work life balance.

The Tree Health team provides applied research, advice, and management support on established and invasive tree pests and diseases to a wide range of stakeholders and is committed to protecting and promoting forest health.

Within this team, we are currently looking to appoint an Entomology Research Assistant to help investigate the susceptibility of live Sitka spruce trees to Ips typographus (I.t.), a highly damaging pest of spruce trees in Europe, as part of an ongoing Defra/FPPH-funded project.

Job description

This post is to work within a small team conducting applied research on the ecology and management of invasive and established forest pest insects, in particular wood and bark boring beetles such as Ips typographus and Emerald Ash Borer. Our team investigate critical issues influencing the health of our trees and forests, such as the impact of invasive insects, interactions with host trees, transmission of forest pathogens, biological control mechanisms, and the impact of climate change upon pest status.

In recent years, incursions of the non-native bark beetle Ips typographus (I.t) have been detected for the first time in southern England, raising concerns that this highly damaging pest may pose significant risks to UK forests, potentially including Sitka spruce (SS), the most extensively planted conifer species in Britain and Ireland. Research conducted by our team has demonstrated that under laboratory conditions, I. t will feed and breed in SS as readily as its native host, Norway spruce, but the susceptibility of the tree species has not been investigated in live trees. This post will support our team’s efforts to better understand the risk of population growth and outbreaks of I.t. in SS forest stands, investigate the build-up of populations of beetles in European-grown SS stands, gather available data on the impacts of recent I.t. outbreaks on SS plantations being grown in Europe, and investigate the susceptibility of live SS trees to attack from I.t. when experimentally stressed.

The post-holder will join a friendly and dynamic team in conducting applied research investigating the susceptibility of Sitka spruce (SS) to I.t. The post-holder will work with live insects (of all life stages) within a new state-of-the-art quarantine lab facility, conducting experiments assessing the susceptibility of live SS trees to I.t.

Closing date: 23:55, 15 October 2023.

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