Postdoctoral Research Associate

Contract: Full time (1FTE), fixed term (36 months)

Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business, and industry.

Detailed Description

Heriot-Watt University is looking to appoint a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to support research on the UKRI-funded TRANSECTS (TRANSitions in Energy for Coastal communities over Time and Space) project. TRANSECTS will apply an interdisciplinary spatial-temporal lens to learn from past marine energy transitions to support and inform future decision-making.

Combining natural and social sciences with arts and humanities, TRANSECTS will interrogate the shifts from non-renewable systems of production (whale oil in the 1800s through to offshore oil and gas in the later-1900s) to more sustainable marine renewable energies in the early-2000s (and the competition with transitioning oil and gas via CO2 and hydrogen storage).

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the existing data and literature (both peer-reviewed and grey) to identify the environmental stocks and flows associated with different marine energy transitions; 

• Assist with the identification, collation and archiving of relevant datasets;  

• Support and develop the quantitative analysis of environmental data (including historical and spatial data) to explore temporal changes; 

• Explore interlinkages between natural capital stocks, ecosystem service flows and societal benefits through qualitative analysis of TRANSECTS data; 

• Liaise with stakeholders and collaborators to identify and introduce suitable data and expert knowledge; 

• Undertake administrative tasks associated with data preparation and project reporting; 

• Contribute to the development of an online Energy Transitions Atlas, displaying trends in stocks/flows/benefits over time and their interlinkages; 

• Work with the project team to explore how changes in natural capital stocks (including legacy effects and path dependencies) may have implications for resilience of coastal communities; 

• Collaborate with the project team and partners to create exhibition materials for wider public and community dissemination;  

• Work in collaboration with other TRANSECTS Post-Doctoral Research Associates who will focus on the economic and socio-cultural values of marine energy transitions and energy law and just transitions; and 

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential Criteria

• PhD in a Marine or Environmental Science, Spatial Planning or Geography discipline. 

• Knowledge and experience on at least two subject areas from the following: Marine Spatial Planning, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Natural Capital Approaches, Environmental Risk Assessments, Marine Management, Marine Energy, Environmental Sustainability. 

• A track record of research outputs which reflects their career stage.  

Competencies, Skills and Knowledge

• Competency undertaking statistical analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. 

• Experience of executing spatial data analysis and interpreting mapped outputs. 

• Excellent IT skills and proficiency with using online communication platforms. 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills. 

• Good team player with good interpersonal skills. 

For all criteria, further details and how to apply:

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Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers disc.hw.ac.uk.

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