Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Insect Ecology and Behaviour

About the role

We wish to appoint a postdoctoral research fellow to work on the NERC-funded project “Living at the edge: causes and consequences of individual variation in a changing world".

The project studies the effects of landscape fragmentation on behaviour, physiology, morphology, life history and related traits (and their covariation) in a forest-living ground beetle species using individuals living at an edge of a habitat and those at a core. The project combines both experimental and correlative approaches and applies a wide range of methods in the field and laboratory. These range from enclosure experiments, translocations, radio-telemetry, and behavioural and physiological assays.

You will plan and execute fieldwork and lab-experiments, manage and analyse project data, write up manuscripts and present results at conferences and to the wider audience. You will be supervised by Dr Wiebke Schuett (Project Lead) and Prof Jeremy Niven (both School of Life Sciences) and will work closely with other research team members, including a research technician and a PhD student.

About you

You have a PhD in animal behaviour, ecology or an allied biological science. You are a highly motivated, talented, well-organised and meticulous person with strong skills in quantitative analysis, experience in behavioural observations and/or experimental design and excellent team-working ability. You have a background and demonstrable interest in one or more of behavioural ecology, insect physiology, evolution and/or ecology. It is advantageous if you have previous experience in collecting data in the field, physiological and/or parentage analyses, advanced statistical modelling using R, working with insects and/or on animal personality, and handling large data sets. Holding a driving license is desirable.

About our School

Please find further information regarding the School of Life Sciences on our website.

The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award. 

Why work here

Find out more about our reward and benefits package.

Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion

Further Key Information

Please contact Dr Wiebke Schuett (she/her, w.schuett@sussex.ac.uk; 0044-(0)1273678085) for informal enquiries.

Applications should be accompanied by a cover letter including a statement of research interests and aspirations (not more than 3 pages), a full CV.  

For full details and how to apply see our vacancies page.

The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.

Please note that this position may be subject to ATAS clearance if you require visa sponsorship.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK. 

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