Research Assistant in Agri-Environmental Data

Location: Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3EL

About the role 

The HESTIA Team is looking for a Research Assistant to support the development of a harmonised, free and open-access animal feed database, describing the production processes and environmental impacts of major feeds used in animal agriculture (rice, oats, rye, barley, and sunflower). The role involves conducting literature reviews to identify suitable data, re-structuring datasets in accordance with the HESTIA data format, and uploading them to the platform. 

About you 

You will hold an undergraduate degree and have relevant experience. This requires strong attention to details and numeracy skills. The role also includes a data consolidation step, by generating country-level aggregated datasets for each feed, debugging and analysing results, and writing up a progress update report to be submitted to DEFRA (which is funding the role). A contribution to general platform development is also expected. This includes adding glossary terms or updating existing ones and specifying feature requests or bug reports on GitLab. There will also be opportunities for career development, such as contributing to research outputs and co-supervising other individuals uploading data to the platform (e.g., interns). 

How to apply 

The University of Oxford is committed to equal opportunity, and to being a place where everyone belongs and is supported to succeed. We recognise how the diversity of our community enriches our ability to deliver on our academic mission. 

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented within higher education. No applicant or members of staff shall be unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. 

This post is full-time and available immediately. It is initially for one year, with extension based on securing additional funding.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 15 May 2026, interviews are likely to be scheduled for early June. Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system, and you will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application. A data upload test will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

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