Research Associate in Evolutionary Ecology

Salary: £36,636 - £46,049 per annum

Closing Date: 15 May 2026

The Role

Do you have a passion for evolutionary theory and experience in modelling? We are a dynamic research team with national and international collaborators, driving innovations in coral reef ecology and evolution. We are committed to the professional development of our team members, fostering collaboration and facilitating experience in new fields and acquiring new skills.

The role is part of Leverhulme funded project “The role of mutualisms in social evolution and behaviour”, which combines empirical work using anemones and anemonefishes as model organisms, and theoretical work to generalise the results. The Research Associate will lead the theoretical part of the project and contribute to the empirical work where appropriate.

You will combine elements of classic game theoretical models of cooperation and reproductive skew to include mutualistic interaction and thereby create a general framework for social evolution. The empirical findings from experiments done with anemones and anemonefish in Papua New Guinea will be used to inform model development, test theoretical predictions, and explore model variants, completing a circle between theory and data. The project will be supervised by Dr Theresa Rueger at Newcastle University, in collaboration with Prof Michael Cant at the University of Exeter and Prof Peter Buston at Boston University.

This is a full time, fixed term post for 20 months. Please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria required for the role outlined in ‘The Person’ by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

For any questions contact Dr Theresa Rueger.

Key Accountabilities

• To develop and test a new theoretical framework to study the role of mutualism in the evolution of animal societies
• To liaise with the principal investigator and collaborators to plan, organise and carry out the work programme
• To disseminate research results through appropriate media. This will include authoring or co-authoring papers for publication in high-quality academic journals
• To contribute to existing and new interdisciplinary collaborations
• To train and assist undergraduate and postgraduate students in theoretical techniques and computational methods
• Represent the research group and disseminate information about its work at national and international events
• Contribute to learning and development through the provision of documentation, training and advice
• Undertake relevant training and development activities in order to develop an awareness of own professional development needs
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person (Essential)

• Experience in evolutionary and theoretical modelling of social behaviour
• Knowledge of evolutionary theory
• Extensive experience in planning and executing scientific research projects
• Experience mentoring junior researchers

Attributes and Behaviour

• Comfortable working both individually and have good team working skills
• Capacity for original thought
• Enthusiasm and a strong work ethic
• Ability to interact with researchers with different backgrounds
• Ability to communicate scientific results to a broad or non-specialist audience
• Ability and willingness to work in interdisciplinary environments

Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant science subject, such as biology, zoology or marine science
• A Ph.D. in the field of evolution, ecology, behaviour or a related discipline

What We Offer You

• Research as part of a young and dynamic team with lots of international experience
• Flexible working environment
• Field work opportunities in Papua New Guinea
• Training seminars, workshops and e-learning opportunities for personal development

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.