Postdoctoral Research Fellow/Associate

Please note this post is subject to funding approval.

This new full-time role is available at either Postdoctoral Research Associate or Postdoctoral Research Fellow level, from 2^nd February 2026 (some flexibility to start date) until 1^st February 2029 on a fixed term basis, subject to limited funding.

The successful postholder must have a willingness to travel to remote field sites.

The post

The Faculty is looking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate or a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to conduct research on a NERC funded project titled “What determines the virome: ecology and the environment, evolution, or species history?”.

The project will involve collecting a large sample of several thousand moths, covering >200 species, using RNAseq to examine the diversity of viruses they are host to, and using phylogenetic mixed models to look at the ecological and evolutionary predictors of the species’ viromes. 

The successful applicant will be responsible for leading field work, molecular work, bioinformatics, data analysis, working closely with a research assistant and field assistant, together with the principal investigators Ben Longdon and Darren Obbard. The post will be based at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus in the internationally excellent Centre for Conservation and Ecology https://ecologyconservation.exeter.ac.uk/research/. The centre has a huge number of researchers working in evolution and ecology, including a large group of researchers working on host-parasite interactions and insect ecology and evolution, and provides an exciting and stimulating research environment. 

Please refer to the University of Exeter job advert for further information on the list of relevant papers for the project. 

Please highlight in your cover letter why you would like to work in our groups (www.benlongdon.com and https://obbard.bio.ed.ac.uk/), why you are interested in this project, and how your skillset/experience is relevant. If you think you might be a great fit for this position but are unsure on whether you have relevant experience, please get in touch before applying, happy to consider applicants from different backgrounds.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in host-pathogen evolutionary ecology or a related area, and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. Applicants will independently run field work (requires driving around the UK), manage and process a large number of samples, carry out molecular work (RNA extractions), run bioinformatic analysis on RNAseq data, and use a mixed model approach to look at predictors of the virome. Experience in multiple of these areas is desirable, but training will be provided. 

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Cornwall

The University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is an equal opportunity employer. We are officially recognised as a Disability Confident employer and an Athena Swan accredited institution. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in the workforce.

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