Research Fellow in Cambrian Biogeochemistry

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Contract type: Fixed term (for up to 24 months to complete specific time limited work)

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

We seek a postdoctoral research associate to join the research team on the NERC Pushing the Frontiers project “Determining the nature and drivers of Earth’s first metazoan radiation and subsequent extinction: The Cambrian ‘Explosion’ and Sinsk Event”. The overall aim of the project is to understand the drivers and evolutionary consequences of the first mass extinction of the Phanerozoic, the enigmatic Cambrian Sinsk Event, 514 million years ago. The role will involve a highly integrated, multi-disciplinary programme of novel analyses and modelling, with a focus on reconstructing regional and global environmental conditions through the Sinsk Event. Working as part of a larger team, you will specifically reconstruct water column redox conditions on a regional scale, as well as evaluate nutrient cycling and feedbacks to oxygenation. The data obtained via geochemical and isotopic analyses will then be used to upscale from the regional to global scale via biogeochemical modelling, and to test various hypotheses relating to the Sinsk Event.

You will have a track record in the field of paleoenvironmental reconstruction, particularly in relation to redox and nutrient cycling, with a demonstrable focus on early Earth geochemistry. You will be an independent and creative researcher, with evidence of a strong commitment to publishing scientific results at an international level.

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/global-talent.

What we offer in return

•   26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
•   Generous pension scheme plus life assurance – The University contributes 14.5% of salary.
•   Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
•   Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
•   Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!  

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Professor Simon Poulton

Email: s.poulton@leeds.ac.uk

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