Senior Research Associate - Marine Food Web Rewiring

Economics Network; Lancaster; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancaster University invites applications for a temperate or warm-water marine scientist and/or community ecologist to join the Island-Ocean Research Hub. You will study seabird nutrient run-off and how nutrients are integrated into foundation species, and how food webs respond to nutrient subsidies in island and coastal ecosystems.

Fieldwork will include remote locations, scuba and snorkel-based work, and collaboration with Prof Nick Graham and the Lancaster Environment Centre; opportunities to

Responsibilities

• Fieldwork in remote locations, scuba and snorkel-based work
• Collaborate with Prof Nick Graham and other Lancaster Environment Centre team
• Potential to co-mentor PhD students

Job description

Interview date:Friday 20th November 2026

Duration: 4 years

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic temperate or warm-water marine scientist and/or community ecologist to join the Island-Ocean Research Hub. This new research hub will investigate island-ocean connectivity and the influence of seabirds and island rewilding on ecosystem structure, function, and benefits to people. You will focus on the role of seabird nutrient run-off, the extent to which those nutrients are integrated into foundation species, and how food web structures are influenced by the nutrient subsidies. Potential study sites will include the inner and southern Seychelles, the Mediterranean Sea and island archipelagos around the UK, and ecosystems to explore include Mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs and kelp. This project is led out of Lancaster University, with a number of collaborating universities and NGOs. Fieldwork for the project will include periods in remote locations, working in small teams, and scuba and snorkel-based work, and experience of such working will be essential. There will be opportunities to gain experience in co-mentoring of PhD students. You are encouraged to think through their own ideas about the role of seabird nutrients on food web rewiring and how their area of expertise could be applied to this study. You will work closely with Prof Nick Graham on this project, and collaborate with other members of the research team, both in Lancaster and at collaborating institutions.

Lancaster University is a research-intensive university, ranked in the top 10 of UK universities. The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is a large and multidisciplinary department, tackling environmental challenges across the natural and social sciences. Within LEC, there is particular strength in high diversity tropical systems, including coral reefs and tropical rainforests. LEC offers a highly collegial and stimulating environment for career development based on departmental values and embedded Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) considerations and actions. We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. Furthermore, we are active and progressive around sustainability, wellbeing and decolonising agendas.

We anticipate interviews will be held in November 2026.

Informal enquiries for issues not covered in the further information to Prof Nick Graham [e-mail].

Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.