Research Associate in Aquatic Food Web Ecology

Short info about job

Detail information about job Research Associate in Aquatic Food Web Ecology. Terms and conditions vacancy

Salary: £36,800 - £44,220 per annum (Maximum starting salary is £36,800 per annum)

South Kensington Campus

The Department of Life Sciences was the top ranked university department in the UK for research intensity in Biological Sciences in REF2014 (Times Higher Education), scoring 100% on our environment.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate with an interest in Aquatic Food Web Ecology. The successful candidate will describe the diet of Southern Ocean fish, recently sampled by the British Antarctic Survey, using both morphological identification of stomach contents under the microscope and DNA metabarcoding of stomach fluids. The data collected will be used to construct food webs for different regions of the Southern Ocean and to compare and contrast food webs constructed by literature research, taxonomic identification, and molecular techniques. This work will complement research undertaken by Dr Eoin O'Gorman's group at Imperial and also a NERC eDNA Highlights Topic Grant with investigators at the Universities of Bristol and Salford, the Environment Agency, the Marine Biological Association, and British Antarctic Survey.

The position is funded for 11 months by the Natural Environment Research Council and will be based at the Silwood Park Campus. The successful candidate will work closely with Dr Eoin O'Gorman (co-investigator on a NERC eDNA Highlights Topic Grant) and his research group. More details on the ongoing NERC grant can be found here: http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=NE%2FN005937%2F1

You must have a PhD or equivalent qualification in ecology or a closely related discipline, with a strong interest in food web ecology. Experience in the taxonomic identification of aquatic invertebrates, of analysing complex ecological data, and of working in a multi-disciplinary environment are essential. Extensive research experience in aquatic ecology, molecular ecology, and/or statistics and modelling is desirable.

You must have experience of working in a team, be able to develop and apply new concepts and have a creative approach to problem-solving. You must also have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to write clearly and succinctly for publication.

Further details of the research group can be obtained from the following website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.ogorman

Our preferred method of application is online via our website http://www.imperial.ac.uk/employment (please select “Job Search” then enter the job title or vacancy reference number including spaces – NS 2017 159 PB into “Keywords”). Please complete and upload an application form as directed.

Alternatively, if you are unable to apply online, please contact Mrs Christine Short on 020 7594 2276 or email [email protected] to request an application form.

Closing date: 17 September 2017 (midnight BST)

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