Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow
Posted 2 weeks ago by University of Exeter
£43,482 Per year
Fixed-Term
Undetermined
Penryn, England, United Kingdom
Summary: This role is a full-time, fixed-term position funded by the Royal Society, available from September 7, 2026, until August 30, 2030. The successful candidate will join Dr. Rachael Miller's Cognition and Conservation Group at the University of Exeter, focusing on cognitive variation in reintroduction biology, primarily involving research with birds. The position offers opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, student supervision, and contributing to impactful conservation guidelines.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct captive and field-based conservation research focused on ecological, behavioral, and cognitive aspects, primarily with birds.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and co-supervise students and junior researchers.
- Present research progress and outcomes, and prepare proposals for external funding.
- Develop research objectives and contribute to securing funding for projects.
- Generate evidence-based guidelines for captive management and reintroduction programs.
- Manage data and perform statistical analysis related to research findings.
Key Skills:
- Relevant PhD or equivalent experience in conservation, ecology, comparative psychology, cognitive biology, or related fields.
- Specialist knowledge in research methods and techniques for conservation and ecology.
- Experience in conducting research from conception to publication and presentations.
- Excellent communication, teamwork, and collaboration skills.
- Desirable skills include knowledge of ecological tools, analytical tools, and experience in creating impact beyond academia.
Salary (Rate): £43,482.00 yearly
City: Penryn
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: fixed-term
Seniority Level: Mid-Level
Industry: Other
This Royal Society funded full-time post is available from 7th September 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter, on a fixed-term basis, until 30th August 2030. The starting salary will be from £34,610 (E26) to £39,906 (E31) on Grade E for the Postdoctoral Research Associate level and at £43,482 (F34) on Grade F for the Postdoctoral Research Fellow level, depending on knowledge, skills and experience. We welcome applications from candidates interested in working part-time hours or job-sharing arrangements.
The Role
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow to join Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison)'s Cognition and Conservation Group in Penryn, Cornwall. The successful applicant will work with Dr Miller (the Principal Investigator) on her Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship project: "Understanding the role of individual cognitive variation in reintroduction biology". The post will include captive and field-based conservation, ecological, behavioural and cognitive focussed research, primarily with birds, interdisciplinary collaborations, co-supervision of students and junior researchers, and contributing to project impact, including generating evidence-based guidelines for captive management and reintroduction programmes.
About You
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies. Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events. Applicants will possess a relevant PhD (or nearing completion for Associate) or an equivalent qualification/experience in conservation, ecology, comparative psychology, cognitive biology or a related field of study. They will be able to demonstrate sufficient specialist knowledge (Associate) or be a nationally recognised authority (Fellow) in the discipline, research methods and techniques to work within (Associate) or develop (Fellow ) established research programmes. Applicants will be able to demonstrate interest and expertise in conservation and ecology (essential), cognition and behaviour (desirable) research with animals, using experiments and/or observations, in field (essential) and/or captive (desirable) settings, ideally with birds. Applicants should demonstrate experience of conducting and completing research from idea conception to publication and presentations, with experience in data management and statistical analysis. They should demonstrate excellent communication, teamwork and collaboration skills, and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research. Desirable skills include: knowledge of ecological tools and field-relevant equipment (e.g. RFID, GPS tracking), analytical tools (e.g. GIS, mixed modelling), experience creating impact beyond academia (e.g. policy or industry), zoo/ industry experience, and knowledge of Open Science practices.
Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.
What we can offer you
Freedom (and support) to pursue intellectual interests and work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Cornwall
Further information
Please contact Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison), r.miller7@exeter.ac.uk.