Research Fellow in Mountain River Ecology

Contract Type: 

Fixed Term (for up to 33 months to complete specific time limited work)

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in river ecology, glacier-fed river ecosystem studies and water quality dynamics? Are you interested to explore the impacts of climate change on mountain river ecosystems, working with researchers and end-users in Nepal to create a standardised biomonitoring approach for high-elevation Himalayan rivers? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities?

We are looking for a highly-motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our group which is engaged in diverse aspects of research in river basins, with an emphasis on ecosystem dynamics. Working alongside both academic and non-academic partners in Nepal, you will take the day-to-day lead on a newly funded NERC Pushing the Frontiers project that aims to assess the effects of glacier retreat on aquatic biodiversity and river water quality in the Himalayas. This project will use a combination of field surveys, field experiments, microscopy identification of invertebrates/algae, molecular analysis of aquatic organisms, and statistical modelling, to build new understanding of how Himalayan glacier-fed river systems are structured and function. Specifically, the project will quantify the biodiversity of bacteria, fungi, algae and invertebrates in relation to environmental characteristics, manipulate water chemistry at selected locations to observe microbial community structural and functional responses, and build models to predict how Himalayan river biodiversity can be expected to change in coming decades.

You will join the multidisciplinary and diverse River Basin Processes and Management research group, working in our aquatic ecology team led by Prof. Lee Brown, and collaborate with colleagues from the University of Essex, Cary Institute (USA), Kathmandu University and Tribhuvan University. You will benefit from collaborations (industry and academia), international fieldwork and conference attendance, and tailored skills training. You will be expected to develop the project ideas and lead fieldwork expeditions and laboratory analysis to meet the project’s multiple aims.

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