Postdoctoral Research Associate in Horticultural Strategy and Climate Adaptation

The postholder will lead the initial development of a report and evidence portfolio that will help to inform a Horticultural Strategy for Northern Ireland as part of the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub, funded by NERC and DEFRA.

The post holder will design and facilitate a structured programme of stakeholder engagement across Northern Ireland's horticultural sector, drawing on the Three Horizons framework to identify shared visions, barriers, and transition pathways for climate-adapted food production.

The post is hosted within the Co-Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Water at Queen's University Belfast and will work in close partnership with the Climate NI Team at Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) and the MACC Hub coordination team, contributing to climate adaptation-focused knowledge sprints across all four jurisdictions of the UK.

About the person

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Have or be about to obtain^* a relevant PhD in a discipline related to food systems, agri-food geography, rural sociology, environmental science, ecology, agriculture, horticulture or closely related field (^*must be obtained within 3 months of commencement of employment).
• Demonstrable experience of planning and delivering participatory or stakeholder engagement research, including workshop facilitation with diverse groups.
• Experience of applying qualitative or mixed-methods research approaches to food systems, agricultural transition, community development, or environmental management.
• Ability to synthesise complex, multisource evidence into clear, policy-relevant outputs.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information on our website.

This post is available for 12 months or until 21 November 2027, whichever is soonest. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

What we offer

Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more on our website.

Queen's University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena Swan and have established staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality. For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit our website.

If you are an international applicant and don't already hold a visa that permits you to take up the role you are applying for, please use the information provided on our website to self-assess whether the University is likely to be able to support a visa application.