Senior Research Officer

The successful postdoctoral researcher will join Dr Eoin O’Gorman’s vibrant and diverse research group at the University of Essex on the funded Leverhulme project “WebDNA – food web reconstruction through environmental DNA analysis”. They will be primarily based at the University of Essex with Dr O’Gorman, but they will also spend time visiting and/or working with Prof Stefano Mariani and his group at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Prof Eleonora Ciccotti and her group at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. They will also interact with Project Partners Dr Tom Gibson, Dr Jeroen Van Der Kooij, and Dr Veronique Creach at CEFAS. The collaborative team are world leaders in food web ecology, eDNA analysis, fish biology, marine ecosystems, and data analysis.

The overarching goal of the project is to test whether food webs inferred from the taxonomic lists generated through eDNA metabarcoding will capture similar ecosystem responses to environmental change as those constructed using traditional, invasive, labour-intensive methods from food web ecology. The approach will be generalised by conducting the same comparative methods in three independent scenarios, exploring different temporal scales and distinct aquatic environments. The successful postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for conducting fieldwork in Icelandic freshwater streams and Italian coastal lagoons, as well as joining 1-2 research cruises organised by Cefas to the Celtic Sea and Western English Channel. They will also be responsible for processing of samples by traditional (i.e. non-DNA based) methods, including taxonomic identification, stable isotope analysis, and gut content analysis via microscopy. Finally, they will be responsible for food web construction and data analysis, including comparisons to food webs constructed using DNA approaches. The successful candidate should be willing to collaborate with a postdoctoral researcher focused on DNA metabarcoding, who will also be working on the project and based at LJMU.

We are looking for a candidate experienced in food web ecology, ideally with experience of taxonomic identification, fieldwork, and advanced statistical analysis. They will be trained in all aspects of the work, but they should be confident in their ability to problem-solve and organise this ambitious and multifaceted project. The appointee will lead on fieldwork, sampling logistics, laboratory work, data analyses, and publication writing. Candidates should have good communication skills, and the ability to work independently as well as with other members of the research team and their collaborators.

Skills and qualifications required

The successful candidate will hold a relevant doctoral level degree in ecology, biology, or environmental science, or equivalent professional experience or practice, or be close to completion of PhD.

You will have the ability and willingness to complement and enhance the research project/department/school’s education and research strengths and areas of planned development. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, good organisational and time management skills are all essentual to this post.

Please use the 'Apply' button to read further information about this role including the full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role. You will also find details of how to make your application here.

Our website http://www.essex.ac.uk contains more information about the University of Essex. If you have a disability and would like information in a different format, please email resourcing@essex.ac.uk.

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