Senior Research Associate: Understanding the Evolution of Castes

Atomic Layer Deposition; Bristol; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university in Bristol seeks a Senior Research Associate to study the evolution of castes in social insects through extensive fieldwork in Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa. Candidates should hold a PhD, possess strong fieldwork and data analysis skills, and be committed to spending time in the field. This position offers an open-ended contract until 31/05/2028 with a full-time work pattern, inviting applications from diverse backgrounds.

Qualifications

• Experience conducting overseas research fieldwork.
• Enthusiasm for extensive travel in Africa.
• Ability to work as part of an international field team.

Responsibilities

• Conduct fieldwork across three African countries.
• Analyze diverse datasets including transcriptomes and behavioural footage.
• Prepare first-author manuscripts and present results.

Skills

Overseas research fieldwork

Data analysis skills

Field troubleshooting

Driving 4X4 vehicles

Education

PhD in a related field

Job description

Senior Research Associate: Understanding the Evolution of Castes

A Senior Research Associate position is available in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol. Working across Africa, you will investigate the evolution of behavioural castes in social insects (‘queens’ and ‘workers’). You will run field experiments with social wasps in three African countries: Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa.

You will join an international team of postdocs, PhD students, and local field assistants, and combine a diverse range of techniques – behavioural experiments in the field, CT scanning, and bioinformatics.

This position is funded by a NERC‑NSF Pushing the Frontiers grant to Dr Patrick Kennedy (University of Bristol, UK) and Professor Dustin Rubenstein (Columbia University, USA).

Lab website: tinyurl.com/SocialStrategyLab

Your responsibilities will include:

• Conducting overseas research fieldwork in remote locations across three African countries.
• Sampling across environmental gradients and analysing diverse datasets including transcriptomes, behavioural footage, and CT scans.
• Developing and troubleshooting field protocols, ensuring high quality data collection.
• Collaborating closely with international partners and contributing to the design and execution of the project.
• Preparing first‑author manuscripts and presenting results at conferences.

You should be a biologist with strong fieldwork confidence, good data analysis skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.

Essential Requirements

• Experience conducting overseas research fieldwork.
• Demonstrable capacity, enthusiasm, and commitment to spend at least 3 months a year in the field, travelling extensively across Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa.
• Ability to work as part of an international field team and collaborate closely with partners from multiple institutions.
• High practical independence.
• Strong abilities to troubleshoot in the field.
• Confidence driving overseas, including 4X4 vehicles.
• PhD in a related field.

Desirable Requirements

• Ability to speak French conversationally.
• Prior experience working in an African context.
• Academic background in behavioural ecology.
• Experience working in challenging environments.

Applicants from disciplines outside evolution, ecology, or animal behaviour (e.g., anthropology, geography, population health, conservation biology) are welcome to apply, provided they have outstanding fieldwork experience and an advantage in dealing with bioinformatics datasets.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Patrick Kennedy, Lecturer ([e-mail])

Position start date: 1st March 2026 (as soon as possible)

Contract type: Open ended (Fixed term funding until 31/05/2028)

Work pattern: Full‑time

Grade: J

Recruitment timeline

Advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday 11th January 2026

Shortlisting expected between the 12th–16th January 2026

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 28th January 2026

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people – because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.