Research Fellow (Solent Seascape Project)

We are seeking to recruit a Research Fellow with expertise in marine molecular ecology (eDNA) and an understanding of seascape ecology to join the Seascape Restoration Lab at the Institute of Marine sciences as part of the scientific team working on the ground-breaking Solent Seascape Project. This five-year, multi-million-pound, multihabitat marine ecological restoration project is delivered by a partnership of ten organisations with the aim to reconnect the Solent into a functioning seascape by improving the condition, increasing extent, and connectivity of key marine and coastal habitats using protection and restoration initiatives.

The role of the Research Fellow will be to plan, manage and implement the scientific assessments of ecosystem functioning and services of existing and restored coastal habitats, working within the regulatory framework and in collaboration with key partners, stakeholders, and team members. The priority habitats are saltmarshes, seagrass meadows and restored Ostrea edulis native oyster reefs, with a focus on assessing 1) biodiversity (eDNA), 2) carbon sequestration and storage and 3) nutrient concentrations.

This project is ongoing and we have a well-established large-scale, multihabitat environmental DNA (eDNA) programme to assess interactions between structure and biodiversity in coastal habitats. The post holder will co-deliver working in collaboration with other project partners and the Senior Research associate post holder who leads the fish ecology aspects. The successful candidate will use a suite of techniques to measure the ecological connectivity between habitats at different spatial scales across the Solent system, including environmental DNA (eDNA), carbon and nitrogen elemental and stable isotope analysis alongside more traditional ecological field data collection.

The post holder will be responsible for data management and meta-analysis and lead the writing of scientific papers and science communication briefs. The successful candidate will have a PhD in a relevant area, fieldwork experience and a strong publication track record in marine ecology, ideally in temperate systems. Molecular ecology, (specifically eDNA) and metabarcoding bioinformatic analysis skills are essential. Experience with either mesocosm studies, elemental analysis, or stable isotopic analysis for assessing carbon and nutrient in marine systems is also an advantage.

You will be working in the Seascape Restoration Lab led by Professor Joanne Preston (Principal Investigator) and aspects of the project will be in collaboration with Professor Gordon Watson and Dr Ian Hendy (Co-Investigators). Whilst there is a need to be in Portsmouth a few days a week, hybrid working is available for this role. The interviews are currently anticipated to be held on 25 September 2025. This appointment is a fixed-term contract until 31 October 2027. For internal candidates it may be possible to apply for this role under the Secondment Policy . If you wish to apply as a secondee, you must have approval of your line manager in advance of submitting your application form. Please confirm in your application that your line manager has approved this. Informal enquiries may be made by contacting Professor Joanne Preston by email at joanne.preston@port.ac.uk