Research Associate in Active Acoustic Monitoring

Caithness Voluntary Group; Thurso; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job description

Research Associate in Active Acoustic Monitoring

Salary range: Research Associate I £36,066 - £38,641 per annum, Research Associate II £41,467 - £44,420 per annum.
Duration: Fixed Term for 3 years
Working hours: 35 hours per week, Full-Time
Location: Thurso
Closing Date: 12pm, Friday 16th May 2025

Position: We are seeking a Research Associate in Active Acoustic Monitoring of Offshore Wind Ecosystem Effects to be based at our ERI in Thurso.

Responsibilities: The post holders will develop and apply processing techniques to active acoustic data from multi-frequency echosounders on autonomous landers and ships to discriminate large zooplankton, individual fish and schools, including investigating differences between species groups. You will investigate the mechanisms affecting prey fish presence and behaviour around fixed and floating offshore wind farms. You will contribute to the design and data collection of upcoming multi-platform and multi-ship field campaigns in 2025, 2026 and beyond.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills: The suitable candidates will have the knowledge, skills and experience associated with a first degree, together with a PhD or equivalent professional qualification or at least 4 years appropriate professional experience. You will have the developing ability to prepare research proposals, to conduct individual research work and to disseminate results. You will have experience with scientific echosounder data collection, calibration, processing and analysis. An interest in the oceanographic and ecosystem effects of large-scale marine anthropogenic structures and predator-prey interactions is required. Experience of academic teaching would be advantageous. A level of Gaelic ability would be advantageous to your application.

Benefits of working for us:

• 45 days annual leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• Local Government Pension Scheme (Highland Council)
• 10% Membership Discount at Highlife Highland
• Occupational sick pay scheme and family friendly leave provisions
• Staff Support and Employee Assistance Programmes
• Employment Benefits Scheme including lifestyle savings and Cycle to Work Scheme
• £80 towards cost of glasses required for VDU work

To Apply: For a full job description and an application form, download the pack at: Staff - Vacancies (uhi.ac.uk) or email [e-mail]. Please include your CV with your application.