Marine Ecological Modeller

UKRI; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution is seeking a Marine Ecological Modeller to join the ECO-ICE project, aimed at assessing ecological impacts of climate cooling in the Arctic. The role requires expertise in ecological modelling and plankton dynamics, as well as strong numerical and IT skills. The candidate will develop ecosystem models, collaborate with diverse research teams, and publish research findings. A PhD in Marine Ecology or equivalent experience is essential. The position offers a fixed-term contract for 36 months with competitive benefits and a salary of £42,688.

Benefits

30 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Civil Service pension

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working opportunities

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent experience in Marine Ecology.
• Experience with ecological modelling and plankton dynamics.
• Strong IT skills and knowledge of marine pollution.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply ecosystem models for Arctic plankton responses.
• Collaborate with ECO-ICE teams on data integration.
• Lead and publish peer-reviewed research.

Skills

Ecological modelling

Plankton dynamics

Strong numerical ability

Use of statistical software

Ability to work independently

Project management

Education

PhD in Marine Ecology or equivalent

Tools

R

SPSS

Python

Job description

British Antarctic Survey

BAS 25/145

Contract type: Fixed term appointment – 36 months

Location: Cambridge

Salary £42,688

Closing date 08/02/2026

Purpose

We are seeking a Marine Ecological Modeller to join the ECO-ICE project, “Ecological Impact Assessment of Earth Cooling Experiments in the Arctic”, which has been funded by the ARIA grant. The overall aim of ECO-ICE is to assess the ecological consequences of proposed climate-cooling interventions in the Arctic Ocean involving the artificial thickening of sea-ice to prolong its presence in the summer melt season. ECO-ICE will provide an independent impact assessment of climate interventions in the Arctic marine environment on the structure, functioning and resilience of pelagic ecosystems.

The post holder will develop and apply ecosystem models to simulate how plankton dynamics and community composition respond to induced changes in the physical and biogeochemical environment at regional scales. The model will simulate the exposure of plankton to environmental conditions reflecting pre- and post-ice thickening intervention scenarios. The output of the model will inform on change in community dynamics, including physiological stress responses and resilience. A special focus will be to investigate the indirect impact on biological carbon pump and carbon export efficiency due to the effect of intervention on plankton dynamics.

Data generated by ECO-ICE team, together with additional existing datasets, will be available to parameterise the model outputs. The postholder will collaborate closely with ECO-ICE teams to integrate physical and chemical drivers into the biological response models.

This work will contribute to the Ecological Risk Assessment framework developed by ECO-ICE. This independent assessment by experts in modelling and ecology is critical to provide a thorough and balanced evaluation of potential climate interventions providing best-practice guidance for future proposed interventions within the polar marine environment.

The demands of the above objectives means that a suitable candidate must be highly experienced in data analysis and modelling with both experience on plankton and carbon export dynamic including plankton- carbon cycling interaction and marine particle fragmentation, aggregation, settling process. A PhD (or previous PDRA) in a relevant discipline is essential. A familiarity with the Polar Regions and Experimental–modelling integration for parameterisation and validation is desirable.

Duties

• Contribute to the preparation and planning of ECO-ICE research activities and collaborate with ECO-ICE team
• Synthesise key datasets for model parameterisation
• Develop and apply ecosystem models to simulate Arctic plankton community responses at regional scales
• Prepare parameterisation datasets and model output for curation in appropriate data centres (e.g. Polar Data Centre, British Oceanographic Data Centre)
• Lead and publish high quality, timely and relevant peer-reviewed research related to the ECOICE objectives
• Form and maintain national and international relationships and collaborations for scientific research with the Arctic research communities
• Travel to national and international meetings to present research findings
• Proactively pursue and contribute to future research grant opportunities
• Engage with stakeholders and the public to communicate the objectives of the ECOICE project

Skills, Qualifications, and Experience

Essential

• PhD in Marine Ecology or equivalent experience.
• Experience in ecological modelling.
• Knowledge of plankton dynamics, marine carbon export and marine pollution.
• Strong numerical ability with a high degree of statistical literacy and mathematical modelling.
• Strong IT skills, use of statistical software (like R, SPSS), running models or simulations and writing code (such as Python).
• Evidence of time-management skills.
• Self-motivated, with confidence to present complex pieces of work in an understandable way to a range of audiences (both oral and written).
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to identify elements within the appropriate experiments and models to answer research questions.
• Must be able to work as part of a team and present the project to others.
• Enthusiastic and passionate about the topic.

Desirable

• A good publication record.
• Previous postdoctoral experience
• Familiar with Polar science and laboratory incubation experiments.
• Ability to interface with different data sources.
• Experience with Particle tracking & dispersion (i.e. Parcels Lagrangian simulations).
• Experience of managing projects and people.

Benefits

As a BAS employee, you’ll be eligible for the following benefits:

• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days
• Civil Service pension (with 26% or more employer contribution, depending on your band)
• 24 hours/365 days access to employee assistance programme (including support with physical, mental, social, health and financial issues)
• Flexible and family friendly working opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to discounted shopping on a range of retail, leisure, and lifestyle categories and much more

We will give full consideration to requests for flexible and part time working, such as reduced hours, compressed hours or job sharing. We also offer hybrid working and recognise the many benefits this brings. The nature of the role will determine if flexible and hybrid working options are possible.

The pay band minimum is the normal starting pay for those new to a role. In exceptional circumstances, when relevant skills and experience can be identified, a higher starting salary may be considered.