Postdoctoral Researcher and Innovation Assistant

Are you enthusiastic about undertaking fieldwork in the Brazilian Amazon and contributing to understanding historical processes of socio-biodiversity in the face of the challenges of the Anthropocene?

Birkbeck, University of London, is looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher and Innovation Assistant to join a dynamic, international transdisciplinary research project on a full-time, fixed-term contract of £45,934 per year.

The Voices of Indigenous Amazonia project is looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher and Innovation Assistant to work on an exciting project bringing together historic manuscripts and collections relating to the Brazilian Amazon, with fieldwork in collaboration with Indigenous communities in the Rio Negro region, northwest Amazon, Brazil.

The current project continues a long-term research programme started in 2015 and based on Richard Spruce’s 19th century ethnobotanical manuscripts and specimens housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 

You will work closely with colleagues at Birkbeck and Kew, and with Brazil collaborators, to co-author a book based on Spruce’s work, annotating Spruce’s text with historical and contemporary ethnobotanical and cultural information.

The project includes three months of fieldwork in collaboration with Indigenous communities (mainly Tukano and Baniwa) and other Brazilian researchers in the Rio Uaupés region, sometimes with other team members but sometimes independently, with a further visit to our project partner Emílio Goeldi Museum, Belém.

This is a highly transdisciplinary project spanning historic collections and contemporary ethnobotanical fieldwork. You will be strongly supported by mentoring, and training to fill skills gaps, throughout the project.

If you have experience or interest in roles such as Research Fellow, Research Associate, or Academic Researcher, this position could be the perfect fit for you. 

Salary and benefits: 

£45,934 per annum, Grade 7 on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated London Weighting Allowance. 

Benefits of working at Birkbeck: a competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements, generous benefits in the HE sector, and being located in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

Contract:

Fixed-term, 18 month contract, full-time, (35 hours a week).

Please submit a CV and statement for consideration. 

Closing date: Friday 27 June 2025;

Interview date: Friday 4 July 2025.

Enquiries:

If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Professor Luciana Martins, Professor of Latin American Visual Cultures at l.martins@bbk.ac.uk.

If you have difficulty using the recruitment portal, please contact jobs@bbk.ac.uk providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered - www.birkbeck.ac.uk/jobs

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding an Athena SWAN award and operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes.

Advert information