Senior Research Associate in Vegetation and Fire Modelling

1000scholars; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Bristol invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the CoFLAME project, advancing vegetation recovery and wildfire emissions modelling. The role blends data synthesis, model development, and analysis to deliver new process-oriented insights into post-fire ecosystem dynamics under climate change.

You will join Professor Martin De Kauwe’s lab, collaborating with international partners, with hybrid working available and possible 80% time by arrangement.

Qualifications

• PhD (or soon to be awarded) in mathematics, vegetation modelling, physics, atmospheric science, or similar quantitative discipline.
• Significant experience in ecosystem, vegetation, land surface, or Earth system modelling, ideally with applications to wildfire, disturbance, or ecosystem recovery.
• Demonstrated programming/computing skills in a Unix/Linux environment.
• Strong research and publication track record (relative to career opportunity)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently in a research environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply new approaches to represent vegetation response and recovery after wildfire.
• Work at the interface of ecosystem science, Earth system modelling, and remote sensing.
• Investigate fire impacts on vegetation structure, carbon cycling, and ecosystem recovery.
• Collaborate with international partners to improve fire-vegetation representations in land surface models.

Skills

Programming

Teamwork

Communication

Research

Education

PhD (or soon to be awarded) in mathematics/vegetation modelling/physics/atmospheric science

Tools

Unix/Linux

Job description

The role

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work on the Copernicus Fire and Land-Atmosphere Modelling of Emissions (CoFLAME) project. CoFLAME will deliver scientific and technical advances to better account for interactions between wildfires and vegetation, improving estimates of wildfire emissions and natural CO fluxes, while enhancing the forecasting of fire activity, fire probability, and fire spread.

At the University of Bristol, you will develop new theoretical and modelling frameworks to quantify vegetation recovery, mortality, and ecosystem legacy effects following fire. This work will combine data synthesis, model development, and analysis to deliver new process-orientated insights into post-fire ecosystem dynamics and the role of vegetation legacies in shaping land-atmosphere carbon exchange and ecosystem resilience under future climate change.

You will join the research lab of Professor Martin De Kauwe at the University of Bristol and will collaborate closely with an international team of researchers within the Copernicus Fire and Land-Atmosphere Modelling of Emissions (CoFLAME) project. Coordinated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the consortium brings together leading scientists from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), GEOVILLE, NILU (Norway), the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), and the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

Hybrid working is available and can be discussed at interview. This is a full-time (100%) position but appointment at 80% time would be considered.

What will you be doing?

You will contribute to the Copernicus Fire and Land-Atmosphere Modelling of Emissions (CoFLAME) project by developing and applying new approaches to represent how vegetation responds to and recovers from wildfire. Working at the interface of ecosystem science, Earth system modelling, and remote sensing, you will investigate the impacts of fire on vegetation structure, carbon cycling, and ecosystem recovery. The role will involve developing and testing new model representations of post-fire vegetation dynamics, analysing observational and satellite datasets, and collaborating with international partners to improve the representation of fire-vegetation interactions in next-generation land surface models and forecasting systems.

• A PhD (or soon to be awarded) in mathematics, vegetation modelling, physics, atmospheric science, or similar quantitative discipline.
• Significant experience in ecosystem, vegetation, land surface, or Earth system modelling, ideally with applications to wildfire, disturbance, or ecosystem recovery.
• Demonstrated programming/computing skills in a Unix/Linux environment.
• Strong research and publication track record (relative to career opportunity)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently in a research environment.

Additional information

Contract type: Open-ended (fixed funding for 3 years)

Work pattern: Full-time (100%) position but appointment at 80% time would be considered.

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Thursday 5th November 2026

For informal queries please contact: Professor Martin De Kauwe, Professor of Global Change Ecology via email: [e-mail]

Interviews will be held during week commencing 16th November 2026

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£44,746 to £50,253 per annum, Grade: J