Senior Research Associate in Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure

University of Bristol Law School; Bristol; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic institution seeks an experienced Senior Research Associate to support the UK Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure. The successful candidate will lead the Early Adopters Programme, focusing on hydrological modelling and stakeholder engagement. This role offers opportunities for career development in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting, requiring strong analytical and coding skills. Full-time or part-time hours considered with a salary range of £42,882-£48,149 per annum.

Qualifications

• An experienced researcher with strong experience of hydrological data and modelling.
• Ability and enthusiasm to engage with stakeholders and partners across the water sector.
• Strong analytical and coding skills within packages such as MATLAB, R or Python.
• Ability to use initiative and apply creativity to solve problems encountered.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a large team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the scientific design and operation of the FDRI Early Adopters programme.
• Provide scientific input on the design of the FDRI catchment monitoring.
• Foster links with a wide range of stakeholders.

Skills

Hydrological data and modelling

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Coding skills (MATLAB, R, or Python)

Problem-solving

Team collaboration

Job description

The role

We are seeking to appoint an experienced Senior Research Associate for a 2-year position to support use of a new community research infrastructure for floods and droughts. The Research Associate will be working as part of a large team on the UK Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure, which is a 5-year capital investment by the UK Government, enabling essential science and innovation to improve the UK`s resilience to hydrological extremes. They will be responsible for leading an Early Adopters Programme and providing scientific input on the design of the FDRI catchment monitoring.

What We Offer:

• Exciting opportunity to shape the design and co-ordinate early engagement with a major infrastructure programme.
• A vibrant intellectual work environment with an energetic interdisciplinary team.
• Career development through engagement with a wide range of stakeholders and opportunities to interact with other monitoring initiatives globally.

What will you be doing?

The successful applicant will hold a dual role in FDRI and be responsible for (1) the scientific design and operation of the FDRI Early Adopters programme and (2) providing scientific input on the design of the FDRI catchment monitoring through hydrological modelling, quantification of uncertainties and data analysis.

They will work closely with a large delivery team at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, British Geological Survey and Imperial College London, and will be responsible for fostering links with a wide range of stakeholders.

You should apply if

• An experienced, professional researcher with strong experience of hydrological data and modelling
• Ability and enthusiasm to engage with stakeholders and partners across the water sector
• Strong analytical and coding skills within a package such as MATLAB, R or Python.
• Ability to use initiative, and apply creativity, to solve problems that are encountered in the research and innovation context.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a large team.

Additional information

Contract type: Open ended with fixed funding for 2 years

Work pattern: Full time/ or part-time hours will be considered

Grade: Grade J / Pathway 2

Salary: £42,882-£48,149 per annum

School/Unit: School of Geographical Sciences

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 11/08/2025

The interviews are anticipated to take place early September

For informal queries, please contact: Dr Gemma Coxon ([e-mail])

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives - particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.