Research Fellow in Aeroecology (FBSBY1097)

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in aeroecology, ecology or entomology? Do you want to further your career in one of the UKs leading research intensive Universities?

Technological approaches to large-scale biological monitoring are essential to catalog the changing responses of the natural world to human activity. We are seeking an excellent, dynamic and skilled ecologist to use weather radar to map aerial biodiversity in the UK (with application worldwide). This project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), will combine our institution’s research strengths in atmospheric physics and biodiversity conservation to produce a step change in the way in which biodiversity is monitored. You will join a small but growing number of interdisciplinary scientists working at the interface of technology and biodiversity

The wider project will involve a combination of techniques that are brought together to deliver a high impact, novel approach to biological monitoring. These will include biological imaging and electromagnetic modelling, taxonomic research on existing collections of insects, desk-based spatial analyses based in geographical information systems (GIS), and field collection of specimens. The core output of the project will be the delivery of a web portal to showcase the findings as a useful tool for policymakers, researchers, and the general public. The project team is diverse and will tackle different aspects of the work, with the intention of additional training in the whole range of approaches that are being employed.

The work has the potential to revolutionise the way in which biological diversity and the abundance of aerial insects are monitored, with a high degree of impact through UK (and international) monitoring schemes. 

You will have a PhD (or close to completion) in aeroecology, entomology, ecology, environmental science or a closely allied discipline, strong invertebrate taxonomic skills and experience of data analysis. As part of this role, you will join a thriving research group where you will have opportunities to contribute to undergraduate teaching, and the supervising of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Christopher Hassall, Lecturer in Animal Biology

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 5578, email: c.hassall@leeds.ac.uk 

Closing Date: 09 Jan 2019
Category: Research