Graduate Research Assistant

This new full-time post is available from 1^st October 2024 to 30^th November 2025 on a fixed term basis.

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit subject to confirmation of funding a Graduate Research Assistant to support the work of Dr. Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury. This UKRI funded post is available from 1^st October 2024 to 30^th November 2025.

The successful candidate will help implementing an exciting and novel conservation project at the interface between citizen science, social science, art and philosophy. Specifically, our research aims to understand the importance of private residential gardens for pollinator conservation in a semi-urban environment in the UK. We will use a village in Cornwall as our study system to experimentally test how an award-winning artwork (see Pollinator Pathmaker (PP) at pollinator.art) can conserve pollinator diversity in limited and fragmented urban green spaces, and how these PP plantings empower the public to engage in nature-positive actions.

The successful candidate’s role will include engaging with project participants, establishing PP plantings in their gardens, collecting data on plant and pollinator diversity, identify and handle insect pollinators, create and curate electronic data collection software, process interaction network data, carrying out some analysis, and assisting with publicity, outreach and research communication through various channels.

About you

The successful applicant will have a keen interest in plant-pollinator interaction, conservation, and working with the community. Further, the applicant will be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically, and handle large datasets confidently.

Applicants will be educated to first degree level (MSc is preferable) in Ecology, Environmental Science or Biology, or possess equivalent qualifications or experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will be able to work collaboratively and assist with the work of others when needed. In addition, applicants will be familiar with UK plants and pollinators, handle insect pollinators confidently, have used spatial and online data collection apps (e.g. Cybertracker) in the past, and thrive on interdisciplinarity.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

For further information please contact Dr. Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, e-mail c.kaiser-bunbury@exeter.ac.uk or telephone (01326) 255245.

The closing date for completed applications is 4^th September 2024. Interviews are expected to take place on 12^th September 2024.

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