Senior Research Associate / Research Associate in Experimental Ecology

The role

A postdoctoral position is available on patterns of resilience loss across space and time, guided by Assoc. Prof. Christopher Clements (University of Bristol) with Profs. Dylan Childs and Andrew Beckerman (University of Sheffield). This is a full-time, 3-year post starting 1 January 2026.

The STABILI-NICHE project will use niche theory and a global dataset of >1.8M time series from 6,700 chordate species to build n-dimensional abiotic niches and estimate each population’s position within its species’ niche space. We will assess how niche marginalisation — movement towards niche edges — affects population stability, model impacts of changes in key niche components (e.g. temperature, rainfall) individually and in combination, and project how stability will shift spatially and temporally over coming decades. This will identify at-risk species and regions, enable stability assessment for data-deficient species, and inform conservation priorities.

The project has a strong conservation focus, involving close engagement with local partners (e.g. West of England Nature Partnership) and international NGOs (e.g. Zoological Society of London). Funding is available for conference attendance and collaborator visits. The successful candidate will join a diverse research group working on ecological dynamics using experimental, modelling, and large-scale data approaches, with opportunities for collaboration and postgraduate supervision.
Hybrid working is available – up to 3 days per week from home.

What will you be doing?

• You will lead quantitative analysis and modelling for STABILI-NICHE, integrating large-scale population datasets with high-resolution climate and land-use data, constructing multi-dimensional niche models, and applying advanced Bayesian spatio-temporal methods. You will:
• Build n-dimensional abiotic niches for >6,700 species and estimate population positions.
• Quantify niche marginalisation and assess effects on population stability.
• Model how individual and combined niche changes influence stability loss rates.
• Project stability change across space and time to pinpoint emerging risk areas.
• Work closely with conservation stakeholders to ensure outputs inform biodiversity management.

You should apply if

• You have a PhD (or near completion) in quantitative ecology, conservation biology, or a related field.
• You are skilled in statistical modelling, particularly Bayesian spatio-temporal methods (e.g. R-INLA, GMRFs), and proficient in R.
• You have experience with niche modelling, multivariate analyses (e.g. PCA), GIS, and integrating climate/land-use data with biological datasets.
• You understand ecological stability, resilience, and biodiversity change.
• You can communicate complex findings to academic and practitioner audiences.
• You enjoy collaborative, interdisciplinary research and are committed to open, reproducible science.

The role offers flexibility to align analyses with your expertise, opportunities to supervise students, and to contribute to conservation policy via NGO and government engagement.

Additional information

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Chris Clements – c.clements@bristol.ac.uk

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 4th November 2025

Advert information