The Opportunity:
Post-doctoral research associate: Phytoplankton responses to changes in light and biogeochemical impacts.
The Position:
Responses of natural systems to climate change impacts are a major international research priority, and the world’s oceans are a key research focus. The Southern Ocean in particular is critically important at the global scale, as a modulator of global climate through the uptake of heat and carbon, driver of global ocean currents and home to globally important biodiversity consisting of resident and migratory organisms. Central to many of these phenomena are Antarctic phytoplankton, and yet their responses to ongoing climate change – and in particular the availability of light – remain poorly constrained. The biogeochemical impacts of these responses – especially with respect to silica cycling within and beyond the Southern Ocean – remain even more elusive. The newly awarded NERC Pushing the Frontiers grant Polar Dawn aims to address these fundamental research gaps.
Join a world-leading team in marine biological and biochemical responses to climate change and lead a cutting-edge experimental study to examine how dark-light transitions impact population growth and silica uptake in Antarctic diatoms. You will work with a dynamic team with a range of expertise to advance scientific understanding of how Antarctic diatoms respond to changes in their light environment and what the consequences of these responses are for uptake and cycling of silica, as a key macronutrient in the Southern Ocean. Through this project, you will also support the wider project team, including providing guidance to PhD students and others, as well as having many opportunities to build collaborations and networks nationally and internationally.
This post is full-time (35 hours per week); we are open to considering flexible working patterns as long as this is compatible with the requirements for the laboratory work. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working that is compatible with the project goals.
Application deadline: September 15, 2026
