Associate Professor of Animal Behaviour

We are seeking a talented, highly motivated researcher and teacher with outstanding potential to bring exciting new perspectives to the study and teaching of Animal Behaviour at the University of Oxford. This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic new Department with a culture that values inclusivity, innovation, collegiality, and scholarship.

This post is offered by the Department of Biology in association with Merton College, where the postholder will be both an Official Fellow and Tutor.

Associate Professor is the main academic career grade at Oxford. Associate Professors have responsibility to lead a successful programme of research and be an enthusiastic and engaging teacher. Associate Professors are appointed jointly by a University department/faculty and an Oxford college, and you will have a contract with both.

The successful applicant will conduct high-quality research in: animal cognition; neuroscience; molecular (e.g. genomics, post-genomics, epigenetics) and or physiological mechanisms underpinning behaviour (e.g. neurophysiology, metabolism). We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise and research interests in animal-inspired robotics, social and collective behaviour, machine-learning and neuronal networks, invertebrate model systems, sensory ecology but candidates with excellence in any area of animal behaviour will be considered. The post-holder will add complementary expertise to traditional strengths in Animal Behaviour research and will contribute to teaching Animal Behaviour and Animal Biology at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. This includes providing high-quality tutorials to undergraduates of Merton College.

The post is full time and will become permanent on successful completion of a five-year review. For an informal discussion about the post, please contact the Human Resources Team (recruitment@biology.ox.ac.uk ), as appropriate.

Applications must be made online by the deadline of 12 midday (GMT) on Wednesday 8 October 2025.

You will be required to upload a CV, including a full list of publications; a supporting statement and a research proposal setting out your plans and priorities for the next 5 years. The full details of how to apply are in the job description.

We expect to hold the interviews in November 2025.

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