Postdoctoral Research Associate​/Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology

About The Role

Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology

This NERC funded full‑time post is available for 42 months (3.5 years), to start between 1st October 2026 and 30 September 2030 (some flexibility to start date). The post will be based at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology & Conservation on our Penryn Campus in Cornwall. The starting salary will be from £36,636 on Grade E for the Postdoctoral Research Associate level and from £43,482 on Grade F for the Postdoctoral Research Fellow level, depending on qualifications, skills and experience.

We wish to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow for a NERC‑funded project that will study the evolutionary ecology of senescence and its role in shaping host‑pathogen interactions, using data from a remarkable 50‑year field study of European badgers (Meles meles) and bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the UK. Our work will leverage extraordinary longitudinal individual‑based data sets covering life‑histories, bTB status, movement biology and immunology, coupled with whole genome sequences (medium‑coverage WGS data) for over 2 500 of the individuals monitored.

The successful candidate will combine concepts and analytical approaches from evolutionary ecology and quantitative genetics to investigate:

• The evolutionary mechanisms that maintain senescence in natural populations
• The inter‑generational effects of senescence (parental age effects) and their evolution
• The effects of senescence on bTB susceptibility, progression and transmission, and the mechanisms that underpin these effects

The Research Associate / Fellow will join a vibrant interdisciplinary team of five postdoctoral researchers, research faculty from the Universities of Exeter (Prof Andy Young, Prof Dave Hodgson, Dr Barbara Tschirren, Dr TJ McKinley), Sheffield (Prof Jon Slate) and Edinburgh (Dr Matt Silk), and project partners from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), DEFRA and the Office for Environmental Protection.

We seek candidates with a PhD (or nearing completion) or equivalent qualification/experience in evolutionary ecology, quantitative genetics or a related field. Candidates should have specialist knowledge of the discipline, research methods and techniques that enable them to work within established research programmes. They should possess excellent quantitative skills, a strong interest in eco‑evolutionary questions in general, and life‑history evolution and senescence in particular.

Applicants are expected to develop research objectives, perform data analysis, write up results for publication, give presentations at conferences and other events, assist with supervising the work of others, and contribute to the process of securing additional funding. They should be team players capable of working independently, with excellent organisational and time‑management skills.

The successful applicant will possess a PhD (or nearing completion) or equivalent qualification/experience and sufficient specialist knowledge to work within established research programmes. They will develop research objectives, perform data analysis, write up results for publication, give presentations at conferences and other events, assist with supervising the work of others, and contribute to securing additional funding. They are a team player capable of working independently and have excellent organisational and time‑management skills.

The successful applicant will possess a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience and broad knowledge in the discipline. They will develop research programmes and methodologies, have excellent quantitative skills, and a strong interest in eco‑evolutionary questions, particularly life‑history evolution and senescence. They will develop research objectives, perform data analysis, write up results for publication, give presentations at conferences and other events, supervise the work of others, and contribute to securing additional funding.

They are a team player capable of working independently, with excellent organisational and time‑management skills, and can act…