Research Fellow in Aquatic Ecology

This role will be based on the university campus with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in Aquatic Ecology? Do you want to further your career in one of the UKs leading research intensive Universities?

Freshwater biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Key drivers of loss include biological invasions and climate change which rewire ecological interactions causing irreversible ecosystem changes and enormous economic burden. It is a global research priority to better understand the mechanisms and outcomes of multiple stressors, but current methods have limited utility due to equivocal results depending on geographic location (space) and invasion stage (time) and do not scale to the complexity of natural environments. This project will form part of an ambitious Future Leaders Fellowship to develop network trait based and scalable methodologies to better understand, predict, manage, and prevent negative effects of multiple stressors with a focus on biological invasions. 

You will use advanced modelling approaches to untangle the complexity and context dependency of invasive species ecological impact using complex long-term datasets. We look forward to interviewing creative and dynamic researchers with a flair for problem solving and unique computational methodologies. You must have experience in using trait and network-based approaches to understand the outcomes of whole ecosystem level changes and have a broad knowledge of aspects of invasion ecology and climate change. Experience in handling patchy and complex long term ecological data is desirable as is a strong publication record commensurate with level of study. 

The University of Leeds and the Faculty of Biological Sciences are committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offer a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN (the national body that promotes gender equality in higher education), and the Faculty of Biological Sciences has received a prestigious Silver award.  We are proud to be an inclusive Faculty that values all staff, and are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees. Our Athena SWAN webpage provides more information. 

What we offer in return 

26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year! Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports hallsPersonal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning teamAll Faculty of Medicine and Health staff are entitled to ten days staff development per year (pro rata). Please speak to your line manager about how you can utilise these Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available

Salary Requirements of the Skilled Worker Visa Route 

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa. For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Dr Josie South, Associate Professor in Ecology

Email: [email protected]

Closing Date: 18 Dec 2025

Section: Research

Salary: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum