Overview

Cefas is looking for a new staff member to collaborate on projects that study the spatial relationships of marine organisms and their environment at large spatial scales and in relation to ecological and environmental variables. The increasing availability of open access spatial data provides opportunities for innovation in a number of topics, notably monitoring programme design, large-scale patterns of species distributions and assemblage structure, and their relationships to natural and human pressures. We are especially interested in attracting applicants with strong skills in spatial data analysis familiar with key issues in marine ecology.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The primary aim is to identify statistical relationships that help to explain the geographic patterns and temporal trends in the distribution of marine biodiversity, and the scale and impact of human activities. To achieve this, you would be expected to exploit existing Cefas and other open data sets, databases and literature to synthesise information, and deliver these data through an online portal. You will apply techniques from the fields of biogeography and macroecology to develop understanding of, for example, the distribution and sensitivity of commercial species and species of conservation concern, the effects of habitat loss on species, the implications of climate change and occurrence of invasive non-native species, and the consequences of changes in management measures on species and habitats. You will benefit from interactions with other Cefas scientists with skills in spatial data analysis and coding, GIS and modelling. Over time, we expect you to develop externally funded independent and collaborative research in related areas of macroecology, community ecology, theoretical ecology and ecoinformatics.

Person specification
Please include details of all relevant skills and previous experience.
Qualifications
The academic qualification required for direct entry to this Cefas Pay Band 5 post is a higher degree in a relevant subject. Applicants from a variety of backgrounds including ecology, mathematics, statistics, physics and computer science are encouraged to apply. You will ideally be educated to PhD level with some post-doctoral experience in spatial data analysis and/or determinants of large-scale patterns of species distributions. You should also have a publication record. We also expect effective communication skills with the ability to present findings, IT literacy including data analysis, good team working and problem-solving skills, and the ability to plan workload and programmes.
Competencies
You will be asked to supply evidence of meeting these competencies when you apply.

Leading and communicating
Collaborating and partnering
Making effective decisions
Seeing the big picture
Science & Engineering – Securing, Maintaining & Developing Relevant Technical Expertise
Science & Engineering – Applying Scientific & Technical Knowledge
Science & Engineering – Sustaining & Developing the Profession