Senior Research Associate / Research Associate in Field and Molecular Ecology

The role

We wish to appoint a highly motivated field and molecular ecologist to work within a UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship research team, investigating the drivers and consequences of insect biodiversity changes across pantropical forests. The successful applicant will form an integral part of the newly formed Tropical Ecology Laboratory (TropEco Lab), working closely alongside the PI, Dr Filipe Machado França, and other staff and students based in Brazil, Ghana, Malaysia and the UK.

What will you be doing?

You will adopt interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to reveal how environmental changes influence species interaction webs in pantropical forests. To achieve this, you and a TropEco Lab’s team will sample soil and insects across a network of forest sites in Amazonia, Ghana and Malaysian Borneo, using ingested-DNA (iDNA) and environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing to build bee-plant and dung beetle-mammal networks at an unprecedented level of ecological complexity and spatial scale. Working with postgraduate students and another full-time Brazil-based PDRA, you will [i] process large-scale biodiversity datasets; [ii] coordinate the establishment of new monitoring plots; [iii] assist in the management of the field team; [iv] co-manage a large-scale, long-term tree and insect monitoring program; [v] coordinate the extraction and preparation of iDNA/eDNA samples for large-scale sequencing and metabarcoding analysis; and [vi] will be responsible for the dissemination and reporting of findings from these studies

You should apply if

• PhD in a relevant field (e.g., field and community ecology, molecular ecology, entomology, or forest ecology) or be working towards one with research experience.
• Expertise in field and/or molecular ecology.
• Laboratory and field research experience.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills (e.g., statistics, bioinformatics).
• Clear communication skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with researchers, students, and engage with the public.
• Commitment to promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in academia / work environments.

Additional information

For informal enquiries please contact Filipe Machado França (filipe.machadofranca@bristol.ac.uk)

Contract type: Open-ended with fixed funding for 4 years

School/Unit: Biological Sciences

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Wednesday 9th April 2025

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