Postdoctoral Research Associate in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Grade 7

This post is part of an NSF-NERC integrating individual personality differences in the evolutionary ecology of a seabird in the rapidly changing polar environment. The grant is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool, UK (Samantha Patrick) and Woods Hole Institute of Oceanography, USA (Stephanie Jenouvrier), in combination with project partners at CNRS, France.Current research has demonstrated that individuals differ in their life history traits, population dynamics or distribution in response to climate variability and human disturbance. Individual personality and behavioural plasticity are likely to mediate these responses, but to date few studies have integrated these traits into demographic models. This project will focus on understanding the link between phenotypic plasticity in foraging effort and personality by modelling individual foraging behaviour and plasticity in relation to personality, and assess the heritability of these traits, using one of the longest foraging data sets in the world on wandering albatrosses.

You will work closely with one PhD student and one Postdoctoral Researcher on the grant, whose focus will be on integrating these measures into demographic models of life history strategies and population response to predict climate change scenarios.

You should have a relevant PhD in biological sciences, preferably behaviour or evolutionary ecology with a strong background in individual level analyses, general linear mixed modelling, movement modelling, managing large data sets and a proven track-record for publishing research in high quality peer-reviewed literature.  You must be able to work as part of a close collaborative team.  Applications should consist of a CV, cover letter including how they have relevant to this post. We envisage this post to be largely data analysis with one (or more) paper (s) focussing on these novel data. 

The post is available from 17 July 2023 until 16 July 2026.

Any applicants who are still awaiting their PhD to be awarded should be aware that if successful, they will be appointed at grade 6, spine point 30.  Upon written confirmation that they have been successful in being awarded their PhD, they will be moved onto grade 7, spine point 31 from the date of their award. 

The University has the right to close the vacancy early if it is deemed that there have been enough applications received