Research Assistant - ENU Centre for Conservation Restoration Science

Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Applied Sciences is committed to providing an environment that recognises and supports research excellence.

Currently, the University’s Centre for Conservation & Restoration Science is working with The Forestry Commission on a project that will look at tree protection as part of a wider strategy to increase woodland cover to help tackle climate change, biodiversity decline and provision of sustainable sources of hardwood and softwood timber.

As such, we now have an opportunity for a Research Assistant to join the project, which will look at tree protection options to mitigate against the impact of herbivorous mammals on trees, woods and establishing woodlands and treescapes.

The Role:

As Research Assistant you will have the opportunity to join a well-established team, who have already undertaken a stematic literature review focusing on the impacts of mammal behaviour impacting on establishing woodlands and treescapes and tree protection approaches.

You will be in an excellent position to use your skills in data collation and presentation to produce accessible material and translate scientific information and evidence into digestible content for woodland owners and managers.

This would involve creating guidance, webpage content and case studies, providing a comprehensive guide on how to assess damage, specifications and which tree protection option(s) could be implemented.

The role will also give you the chance to use your excellent written and verbal communication skills to contribute to the production of research reports and publications and present information on research progress/outcomes to various stakeholders, as well as reporting verbally to a project board.

With this in mind, the role will be an excellent opportunity for you take the first step towards your research career or more practical conservation career, as it will equip you with useful knowledge and skills that will serve you well in the future, along with the prospect of potentially co-authoring on publications.

Furthermore, this is a post that will see you making a real difference, contributing to the formation of a practical resource which will help to protect forest and treescapes and help us to meet our national woodland creation targets.

What we will need from you:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant topic (ecology, wildlife biology, forestry etc.)
• Experience synthesising information across different types of scientific publications and grey literature sources (this may include assessments in your degree(s))
• Experience of writing accessibly for a range of audiences (this may include assessments in your degree(s))
• Experience presenting work to an audience
• Excellent organisational and interpersonal communication skills

For a full role profile and comprehensive list of duties please click here.

Additional Information:

Salary:                 £29,605 per annum, fixed (prorated to fixed term)

Contract:            Fixed Term - 26 weeks

Hours:                  35 hours per week

Benefits:              46 days annual leave (prorated accordingly), contributory pension (17.6%), hybrid/flexible working and professional development opportunities. Further information regarding our excellent benefits can be viewed here.

Closing date:      4^th August 2024

Interviews:         Week commencing 19^th August 2024. 

Start Date:          September 2024

The University is unfortunately unable to sponsor the employment of international workers for this role on the Skilled Worker visa route.

The University holds Disability Confident, Carer Positive and Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champion status. More details can be found here. We are a flexible Employer.

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