Research Fellow (Northern Ireland Countryside Survey)

We are seeking an enthusiastic and skilled Postdoctoral Researcher to join our dynamic team at the DAERA funded Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water. The successful candidate will be embedded in a collaborative research environment, working closely with experts from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute, and Queen's University Belfast.

Your primary focus will be to analyse data from the Northern Ireland Countryside Survey, leveraging your expertise in community and ecosystem ecology with a focus on habitat and botanical data, spatial data analysis, GIS, and statistics to gain valuable insights into land use change and the impacts of agriculture and agrienvironmental schemes, including the Environmental Farming Scheme. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to important research that will inform policy development and environmental management practices in Northern Ireland.

You will play a critical role in assessing how the state of nature in Northern Ireland relates to agriculture and land use policy. This involves assessing the effectiveness of nature-based solutions at landscape scales, understanding their role in enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting sustainable land management practices. Your work will be essential in developing strategies that integrate agricultural productivity with biodiversity conservation, ensuring a resilient and thriving countryside.

The Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water is an exciting new tri-jurisdictional initiative spanning Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, which is managed jointly by QUB and Trinity College Dublin, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), DAERA and UKRI. The Co-Centre aims to be the home of research, innovation, and policy development across the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation on the islands of Ireland and Britain, with the goal of integrating research across both islands to address these crises.

The post will be part of the School of Biological Sciences at QUB but will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering the NI Countryside Survey and will be based in the dedicated Co-Centre Hub. The successful candidate will have responsibilities in research, supervision, planning, collaborations, and outreach and the post is available immediately.

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Have or about to obtain* a relevant PhD in Ecology, Environmental Science, Geography, or a related field. (*must be obtained within three months of commencement of employment)
• Have relevant experience to include the following:
  • Proven track record of managing and analyzing large ecological datasets.
  • Experience in publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
  • Familiarity with agro-ecology and the impacts of agricultural practices on biodiversity and ecosystems.
  • Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment as part of a research team.
  • Proficiency in using statistical software such as R or Python for data analysis.
  • Advanced skills in GIS software, including ArcGIS and QGIS.
  • Demonstrated experience with spatial data analysis and modelling.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information on our website.

This is a 3 year fixed-term contract. Fixed-term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent, subject to funding.

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