At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative research on carbon storage in soils and contribute to groundbreaking scientific outputs.
- Company: Cranfield University, a leader in environmental sustainability and advanced research.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in soil science and contribute to a sustainable future.
- Qualifications: Doctorate in relevant fields and experience in soil carbon analysis.
The predicted salary is between 37897 - 45580 £ per year.
Organisation: Cranfield University
Faculty or Department: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Based at: Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Hours of work: 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract
Fixed Term Period: Fixed Term Contract for 30 months
Salary: Salary Level 5 – range £37,897 to £45,580 per annum with potential progression to £52,067 per annum
Apply by: 11/09/2026
We welcome applications from passionate, analytical and motivated researchers to advance understanding of how carbon is stored, stabilised and preserved in soils and underlying parent materials.
This is a Research Fellow role embedded within a major externally funded research programme in soil science. You will lead the delivery of a substantial component of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, delivering advanced biogeochemical research to determine the origin, age and stability of organic carbon within soil parent materials. The role will involve applying and interpreting analytical and isotopic approaches, including radiocarbon methods, to distinguish petrogenic organic carbon from biospheric carbon inputs and quantify their contribution to carbon storage. You will contribute to field and laboratory research, coordinate specialist analytical workflows including work with external facilities such as the National Environmental Isotope Facility Radiocarbon Laboratory, analyse complex datasets, and publish high-quality scientific outputs. Working closely with the research lead and wider project team, you will help deliver novel interdisciplinary research across soil biogeochemistry, carbon stability and long-term carbon storage.
You will be educated to doctoral level in soil biogeochemistry, geochemistry, soil science, environmental science, biogeoscience or a related discipline, with experience of conducting independent research in laboratory and field settings. You will have expertise in soil carbon analysis and interpretation, and ideally experience of isotopic or radiocarbon approaches relevant to environmental materials. You will be confident designing and delivering analytical workflows, interpreting complex datasets and preparing work for publication. With strong organisational and problem-solving skills, you will be able to manage multiple research activities to deadline and work effectively both independently and as part of a wider interdisciplinary team. You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and be able to engage confidently with collaborators, students and external partners. Willingness to travel within the UK and, where required, to external analytical facilities is essential.
As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. The role sits within Cranfield’s Environmental Sustainability Theme, which brings together expertise across soil science and environmental systems to deliver research and education that supports a more resilient and sustainable future through close collaboration with industry, government and international partners.
Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families.
Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.
For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Dr Dan Evans, Senior Lecturer in Soil Formation and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, on: daniel.l.evans@cranfield.ac.uk
Research Fellow in Soil Biogeochemistry in Cranfield employer: Technical University of Denmark
The University is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and collaborative work environment that prioritises employee well-being and professional growth. With the flexibility of hybrid working and generous leave entitlements, including 36 days off, staff are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance while contributing to the academic success of students in the Faculty of History.
Contact Details:
Technical University of Denmark Recruitment Team
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We think you need these skills to ace Research Fellow in Soil Biogeochemistry in Cranfield
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