Marine Ecological Modeller in Cambridge

BAS 25/145

Contract type: Fixed term appointment – 36 months

Location: Cambridge

Closing date: 08/02/2026

Salary: £42,688

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.

Job Description

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 changes in community dynamics, including physiological stress responses and resilience. A special focus will be to investigate the indirect impact on the biological carbon pump and carbon export efficiency due to the effect of intervention on plankton dynamics. Data generated by the ECO‑ICE team, together with additional existing datasets, will be available to parameterise the model outputs. The post holder 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. The demands of the above objectives mean that a suitable candidate must have extensive experience in data analysis and modelling with expertise in plankton and carbon‑export dynamics, including plankton‑carbon cycling interaction and marine particle fragmentation, aggregation, and settling processes. A PhD (or previous PDRA) in a relevant discipline is essential. 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 the 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 ECO‑ICE 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 ECO‑ICE project.

Essential Skills, Qualifications, and Experience

• 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 (e.g. R, SPSS), running models or simulations and writing code (e.g. 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

• 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.

UKRI – UK Research and Innovation

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world‑leading position in research and innovation. Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world‑class research, skills and business‑led innovation.

About the Team

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) delivers and enables world‑leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Our skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through our extensive logistic capability and know‑how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure, help sustain a world‑leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs. British Antarctic Survey is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation.

How We Support EDI In The Workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How To Apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application. UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re‑run security clearance as required during the course of employment.