Postdoctoral Research Associate

The University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits and support

Opportunity for fieldwork in France

Supervision of project students

Job summary

The University of Edinburgh invites applications for a three-year Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a NERC-funded project on adaptive introgression in European butterflies. You will lead population genomic analyses across two work packages, using chromosome‑level reference genomes and large WGS datasets.

Applicants must have a PhD in evolutionary/population genomics with strong Python/R skills and experience with large genomic datasets.

Qualifications

• PhD in evolutionary/population genomics or related field required.
• Strong skills in Python and R for population genomics analyses.
• Experience with large genomic datasets and statistical inference methods desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead population genomic analyses across two work packages for a NERC-funded project.
• Collaborate on analyses of adaptive introgression in European butterflies.
• Contribute to dissemination at international conferences and supervise project students.
• Work with lab members and collaborators across France, Spain and the Czech Republic.

Skills

Python

R

Computational genomics

Statistics

Population genomics

Education

PhD in evolutionary/population genomics or related field

Tools

High-performance computing

Job description

Grade UE07: £41,064- £ 48,822 per annum

School of Biological Sciences/ College of Sciences & Engineering

Full Time- 35 hours per week

36 months fixed term contract

The Opportunity:

We are looking for a skilled and motivated 3-year Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a NERC-funded project on adaptive introgression in European butterflies, led by Dr Konrad Lohse and Dr Simon Martin. The PDRA will lead population genomic analyses across two work packages:

• Comparative scans of selective sweeps across 42 butterfly species (21 sister-species pairs) to quantify how often adaptive evolution is fuelled by introgressed variants and to identify their functional targets.
• Analysis of a hybrid zone system, integrating whole-genome resequencing and long-read sperm sequencing to find spatial population genomic signals of gene conversion and adaptive introgression.
  

You will work with chromosome-level reference genomes, large WGS datasets and high-performance computing, and collaborate closely with an RA responsible for lab work. The role includes opportunities for fieldwork in France, work with collaborators in Spain and Czech Republic, presenting at international conferences, and supervising project students.

You will join Konrad Lohse’s lab in the dynamic Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, as part of a project funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC). Applicants must have a PhD (or to be completed in 3 months) in evolutionary/population genomics or a related field, strong skills in Python/R, computational genomics and statistics, and enthusiasm for working with large genomic datasets. The post requires creativity in problem solving, and strong communication and organisational skills. An understanding of inference methods for detecting introgression and selective sweeps is desirable. Questions should be directed to [e-mail]

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle:

• Responsibility and autonomy
• Variety every day
• Excellent benefits and support
• Contributing to the work and purpose of the University.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week).

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education.We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 13 November 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interviews will be held online the week of 23 November 2026.