Research Scientist in Seismology/Software Development

Earth Rover Program: Research scientist in seismology/software development

Job overview

We seek a highly motivated seismologist/geophysicist (post-PhD) with expertise in software development to join our thriving research team at Earth Rover Program (ERP) . Tasks include further developing seismic analysis software and databases, performing seismic inference, and supporting seismic field work. The highly diverse and collaborative team largely works remotely (although this position can also be taken as a postdoctoral position in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter, UK), with weekly online calls and frequent in-person team meetings, mostly in the UK or Western Europe, for which attendance is expected at least quarterly.

The organisation

ERP is a research-focused not-for-profit organization which started in November 2023 in London, UK, with 15 researchers distributed around the UK, Kenya, Germany, and France and further expansions including Colombia. The research team comprises experts in seismology, geophysics, soil science, geophysical modelling, machine learning and AI, sensor engineering, and software engineering. This team is supported by an executive assistant and a director of operations. Using dispatchable geophysical technologies, its purpose is to improve our knowledge of soil, both enhancing scientific understanding and enabling farmers to improve soil health and crop production while reducing environmental impacts. We have benchmarked and imaged soils below-ground, improving our understanding of their properties on sites around the world; several manuscripts are currently under review in high-ranking journals. This is a major initiative, supported by Bezos Earth Fund and other foundations over the first three years. Our approach has the potential to help address one of humanity’s most urgent challenges: feeding the world without exceeding environmental limits.

ERP was co-founded by directors Tarje Nissen-Meyer, Professor in Environmental Intelligence at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter; Simon Jeffery, Professor in Soil Ecology at Harper Adams University; George Monbiot, author of Regenesis and Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford; and Katie Bradford, Operations Specialist working with climate organizations. The directors are seeking further funding for the long-term, with the goal of creating innovations in agriculture, food systems, soil science, and monitoring as a key solution to addressing the climate crisis and food system stability, and empowering smallholder farmers with free and novel insight into their soils. We celebrate diversity - in soil ecosystems as much as in our team - as a moral obligation and proven source of increased collective intelligence, resilience, and varied perspectives in a space of high complexity.

Job specifics

Working at the heart of ERP’s seismology team, the position entails leading the software basis and further development for ERP’s data processing and analysis within an existent Python ecosystem. It further includes collaborating on database development, including reproducible pipelines and cloud infrastructure, multimodal data ingestion, automated seismic processing, machine learning, seismic inference with uncertainty quantification, as well as producing outputs (presentations, work updates, publications, conference attendance), all in collaboration with other team members. In-person meetings are crucial to maintain our excellent team spirit; it is expected that the candidate attends at least one such meeting quarterly, mostly in the UK/Western Europe. We offer competitive salaries with flexible arrangements (regarding location, full-/part-time) for highly motivated, independent, creative and engaged individuals with a strong collaborative work ethic across disciplines and cultures. A prerequisite is evidence of independent research (PhD thesis, publications) in geophysics (field work, signal processing, open-source coding, inverse & UQ methods); or machine learning and data science (data ingestion/fusion, augmentation, inference, classification), and Python coding.

Place of work:

ERP operates as a remote team, with frequent in-person meetups, usually in the UK, and an increasingly diversified range of fieldwork around the world. The role could be assumed remotely with ERP, or by joining Professor Tarje Nissen-Meyer’s team at our partner institution, University of Exeter, UK. We are open to applications from candidates based anywhere, though flexibility may be required in core working hours to accommodate multiple time zones within the team. ERP operates on the basis of minimising climate impact; the most ecologically sustainable available transportation options are always preferred, and frequent flying is not desirable.

Start date & duration :

We expect to onboard the new role between now and October 2025, and offer a 1-year contract in line with the development of the first phase. This funding cycle finishes in late 2026, but we anticipate further expansion and longer-term funding, in which case, an extension for the position will become available, subject to satisfactory work progress.

Outcomes:

The involvement in this research-intensive environment is expected to lead to high-profile publications, high visibility, global collaborations across disciplines, with footing both in fundamental science and solution-oriented impact for public benefit. ERP will launch into the public domain, and increasingly interact with scientists, farmers, policy makers around the world - willingness and skill to present complex matters in an accessible manner to these stakeholders is expected.

Support:

Our research team members collaborate closely through weekly calls, and under the continuous guidance of science leads Prof Nissen-Meyer (seismology, AI), and Prof Jeffery (soil science). Support funds exist for work-related travel and equipment. We strive to maintain a vigorous, diverse, open, and inclusive environment with flat hierarchies and strong support on health and wellbeing. Remote work requires proactive communication, and work life feels like somewhere between academic, non-profit, startup and industrial research, with distinct timelines for outcomes.

Application process

We welcome applications from anywhere and anyone with relevant skills and backgrounds who feels they can positively contribute to and grow with the project. Please submit your application by August 1, 2025 23:59 GMT using the apply button, which will require uploading the following documents: research statement including past experience and relevance for our post (1 page) CV, including email addresses for 3 referees familiar with your past research (2 pages) list of publications, highlighting three most relevant papers with links to full paper (1 page) brief statement on logistics (1 page) : where you would like to be based, when you could start, and whether full-time or part-time (this will not affect the judgement on your suitability for the technical aspects of the position, but a start date by September/October 2025 is desirable). Text exceeding the above-stated lengths will not be considered.

Questions? Can be submitted to the team prior to job application using the form above.