Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Fellow. UKRI funded part-time (0.6

FTE) post available from 1 December 2026 until 31 May 2027. Salary will be from £44,352 per annum, pro rata on Grade F subject to knowledge, skills and experience. We welcome applications from candidates interested in working part-time hours or job‑sharing arrangements. Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy. The Faculty wishes to recruit a part-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow to participate in research on social behaviour in animal societies.

This UKRI funded 0.6 FTE post is available from 1 December 2026 for a period of 6 months. The successful applicant will work with a team led by Prof Michael Cant to investigate the causes of individual variation in social behaviour in wild banded mongooses, using genetic, life history and animal movement data from our long‑term field study. In addition to conducting original research, the successful applicant will help to oversee the transition of the project database to a new platform, and assist with the development of a behavioural data collection application.

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in behavioural ecology, animal behaviour, or evolutionary biology and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required.

Applicants will have good statistical and IT skills and familiarity or experience with field data collection, experimental design, database management and animal behaviour research. Experience studying among‑individual behavioural variation in terrestrial species, including from observational and tracking data, is desirable. Any experience handling pedigree or social network data in these contexts would be considered advantageous.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

Please contact Professor Michael Cant,

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