Postdoctoral Research Associate

Biological Sciences, Ecosystem

Contractual hours: 35

Region: South

Job description

Fixed-term Contract (24 months)

By reference to applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship may be possible under Skilled Worker Route. Applicants wishing to consider the SWR must ensure that they are able to meet the points requirement before applying. There is further information about this on UK Visas and Immigration Website UK Visas and Immigration Website. 

This is a two-year full-time postdoctoral research associate role for a highly motivated individual to work for Professor Mark Pagel in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading, UK on a project to discover how the ecosystem or community structure within which a species lives affects its ability to respond to a directionally changing climate such as global warming. It is funded by ARIA, the UK’s advanced research agency. The aim of the project is to model species’ responses to directionally changing environment given that species are embedded in an ecosystem of interacting species, and then to test predictions against real-world data. The backdrop to this work is the question of whether species’ responses to a changing climate can be accelerated given that they exist within a community of competitors, predators, and prey whose responses to the changing climate might differ. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a highly productive and interactive research environment for individuals wishing to develop the skills and CV for an academic career or one in conservation or policy. The research is on a topic of immediate relevance to governments, policy makers and conservation organisations and with great potential for collaboration. You will have a PhD in biological sciences or related field with experience working in ecology and population biology, skills in using R or Python to analyse data and prepare presentations. The PDRA will collect empirical datasets from literature and other sources on species’ community interactions (which other species it interacts with and their effects on each other) and longitudinal responses to climate change. The latter data will typically involve phenotypic traits such as size, egg-laying dates, or maturation ages changing through time. Abundant information is available for both sources of data. This person will then use those datasets to test hypotheses about how species will respond in the future to a changing climate using a new interaction-network model being developed on the project. The PDRA will also be involved in data analysis and writing of research papers or seminar presentations.

University of Reading is situated on a large country-style estate campus. Reading is close to London and major airports.

Informal contact details

Contact Name: Mark Pagel

Contact Job Title: Professor

Contact Email: m.pagel@reading.ac.uk

We welcome applications from both external and internal candidates. As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role can be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Internal candidates should discuss this with their line manager prior to applying.

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

Closing date for applications: 23:59 on 5 Oct 2026

Interview date: 14-21 Oct 2026 (TBC)