Postdoctoral Research Fellow

We are the University of Cumbria, for and from Cumbria and our localities, rooted in serving our communities, with people, place and partnership at our heart. We are delivering a new 'Towards 2030' strategic plan focused on making the most of our three most valuable assets — People, Place and Partnerships — to become a catalyst for economic well-being for our region, nationally and internationally.

The University of Cumbria is seeking a dynamic and highly motivated individual to join the Institute of Science and Environment as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, supporting the delivery of a grant awarded to Professor Robert A. Montgomery assessing biodiversity measurement strategies at global critical mineral mine sites.

The selected candidate will work within the research teams of Professor Robert Montgomery and Professor Simon Carr and will collaborate with the broader Innovation for Conservation (ICON) team assessing the implications of human-predator-prey interactions in East Africa and the Peatland Intelligence Programme evaluating peatland sites in the Lake District and beyond. Specifically, this project involves evaluation of end-to-end biodiversity measurement and monitoring solutions to be deployed across global biomes at a diversity of critical mineral mine sites.

This role is based on-site at the Ambleside campus, which lies in the Heart of the Lake District National Park — also a UNESCO World Heritage Site — offering incredible practical and fieldwork opportunities on our doorstep.

Responsibilities include:
- Carrying out research on emergent technological sensors for floral and faunal detection from a diversity of platforms (e.g., ground stations, unmanned aerial vehicles, fixed wing aircraft, and satellite imagery).
- Advising on and developing models capable of predicting biodiversity from these sensors, including fitting models of various indices describing biodiversity.
- Conducting fieldwork both locally in the Lake District National Park and internationally.
- Working closely with other empirically-focused post-docs, a team of researchers in the field, and broader collaborators.

Requirements:
- A PhD, or be close to finishing a PhD, in biodiversity, conservation science, animal behaviour, quantitative ecology, or equivalent.
- Demonstrable experience of biodiversity measurement.
- Preferably, exposure to biodiversity measurement challenges at critical mineral mine sites.

The University offers an attractive benefits package including 35 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, support for professional development, mentor provision in the first year of employment, and opportunity for career development.