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 fall between 1st October 2026 and 30 September 2030 (some flexibility to start date), and 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.

The Role

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

About You

Postdoctoral Research Associate:

The successful applicant will possess a PhD (or nearing completion) or equivalent qualification/experience in evolutionary ecology, quantitative genetics or a related field. They will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. They will have excellent relevant quantitative skills and a strong interest in eco-evolutionary questions in general, and life-history evolution and senescence in particular. They 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 are a team player capable of working independently and have excellent organisational and time management skills.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow:

The successful applicant will possess a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in evolutionary ecology, quantitative genetics or a related field, and have a broad knowledge of the discipline. They will possess sufficient specialist knowledge to develop research programmes and methodologies. They will have excellent relevant quantitative skills and a strong interest in eco-evolutionary questions in general, and life-history evolution and senescence in particular. They are expected to 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 the process of securing additional funding. They are a team player capable of working independently, have excellent organisational and time management skills, and can act as team leader as required.

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

Further information

Please contact Prof Andy Young, email a.j.young@exeter.ac.uk

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch with us at hrhelpdesk@exeter.ac.uk. You can request reasonable adjustments within your application or by contacting us.