Research Scientist jobs in United Kingdom

Salary - £38,939-£41,321
Hybrid working (50/50)
Permanent
Based in Wallingford
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

Do you have a passion for geospatial data and a desire to contribute to environmental monitoring and hydrological research across the UK? If so, UKCEH is looking for a talented Geospatial Data Scientist to join our team. You will play a key role in delivering innovative digital tools and spatial data solutions to support environmental monitoring and hydrological research across the UK.

This role is part of the esteemed Water and Climate Science research team, contributing to key national initiatives such as the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) and the National River Flow Archive (NRFA). It involves developing systems and managing data critical to understanding water availability, climate resilience, and sustainable environmental management in the UK. Combining geospatial data processing, research analysis, and software development, the role requires close collaboration with scientists, engineers, and other stakeholders to create robust data workflows, geospatial tools, and cloud-based services.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team of software engineers, data scientists, and hydrologists, with strong opportunities for professional growth across diverse research data science areas.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Providing spatial data expertise for analysis, data management, and mapping across a range of UKCEH projects
• Designing, developing and maintaining geospatial data services and workflows for national hydrological research projects.
• Managing, analysing and publishing important and widely used hydrological datasets, including those supporting the NRFA and FDRI, ensuring they are robust, reusable and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• Supporting the deployment of cloud-based infrastructure, web services and APIs for managing and disseminating environmental data.
• Collaborating with researchers, software developers and data managers to create digital tools that improve the access, quality and impact of environmental data.
• Engaging with stakeholders to understand data needs.
• Keeping up to date with advances in geospatial technologies, data science and software engineering – from cloud-based solutions to machine learning.

For the role of Geospatial Data Scientist, we’re looking for somebody who has these essential skills:

• A degree in Geography, Environmental Science, Computer Science, GIS or a related discipline.
• Experience in geospatial data analysis and management using tools such as Python (e.g. GeoPandas, Rasterio, Xarray), GDAL, QGIS, and geospatial databases (e.g. PostGIS)
• Experience in designing, developing and maintaining automated data workflows that implement best practices of geospatial data management
• Demonstrable knowledge of software development best practice, including version control, testing, documentation, and Agile development.
• A keen interest in environmental monitoring and hydrological data, and a proactive approach to solving complex data challenges
• Strong communication skills

Desirable, but not essential skills:

• An understanding of web-based spatial data services (e.g. WMS/WFS, REST APIs), and how data is published and shared on mapping servers (e.g. Geoserver, Mapserver, TiTiler)
• Knowledge of deploying applications or services in commercial cloud environments and/or containerised environments (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience working with sensor or observational data (e.g. from IoT networks, UAVs)

You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.

Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

Working for UKCEH is rewarding

We appreciate the continuous dedication and contributions of our staff, which is why we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes financial incentives and wellbeing-oriented perks, such as:

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant)
• Peer reward and recognition scheme
• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• 24-hour, 365-day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more...

Apply today!

If this opportunity resonates with you and aligns with your personal career goals, the team would love to receive your application. Please apply by submitting your CV along with a covering letter that highlights any qualifications, skills or experience you believe are relevant to this role.

At UKCEH, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities. We are happy to provide any adjustments or support you may need throughout the application process—please don’t hesitate to reach out. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.

We welcome applications from international candidates; however, at present, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role.