Upcoming research opportunities

Post-doc position in ocean biogeochemistry

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Starting on June 1st 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter

Further information: Postdoc (m/f/d) position in ocean biogeochemistry

Closing date: 6th April 2025

 

Job Description / Project Description

The objective of the postdoc project is to analyze global datasets (sediment traps, in situ particle imaging) to improve our understanding of the biological carbon pump in the context of ongoing climate change (ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation). We are looking for a candidate with a strong background and interest in ocean biogeochemistry and/or data science.

The successful candidate will analyze the global datasets with state-of-the-art “big data” methods, such as machine learning and/or multivariate statistics. The goal is to evaluate the influence of changing environmental factors (temperature, pH, oxygen) on vertical particle fluxes from the sea surface to the deep ocean, including the elemental stoichiometry of these fluxes, as well as their remineralization length scales. The results will be used for improved parameterizations of global biogeochemical ocean models, thus providing critical knowledge on how the efficiency of the biological carbon pump – and its regional variability – may respond to ocean change. The tasks of the candidate also include the publication of the results in established peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as presentations at national and international scientific meetings.

The postdoctoral project is embedded within the EU project OceanICU (“Understanding Ocean Carbon”, https://ocean-icu.eu), which seeks to enhance our knowledge about the ocean carbon cycle and the biological pump, involving 30 research institutes across Europe.   The candidate is expected to collaborate closely with other researchers in Ocean-ICU (within GEOMAR and at other institutions in the EU), contribute to interdisciplinary publications, project reports, and synthesis products.

Qualification

Required:

  • A PhD in biological oceanography, marine biology, marine biogeochemistry or related fields
  • Experience and very good skills in analysis of large and complex datasets
  • Experience and very good skills in machine learning and/or multivariate statistics or comparable data science methods
  • Excellent English skills (written and spoken)
  • Experience in scientific writing (publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals)

Desired:

  • Experience in project management and willingness to contribute to the management of the OceanICU project
  • Knowledge about structure and operation of biogeochemical models

The Taucher Lab is part of the "Plankton Biogeochemistry and Imaging" group, which is part of the Research Unit “Biological Oceanography” within the Research Division “Marine Biogeochemistry” (RD2).

Our research topics comprise the spatial and temporal distribution of plankton and particles in the ocean, and particularly their role in biogeochemical cycles. We are particularly interested in the interplay between pelagic organisms and carbon fluxes (e.g. diel vertical migration), how these processes are modulated by environmental drivers, and how they might be affected by climate change.

Besides classical oceanographic methods, we use modern imaging systems (in situ and laboratory-based, including the development of innovative imaging technology) to observe plankton and particles in their natural environment, from the sea surface to the deep sea. The collected image data are classified using AI/ML methods and are related to environmental data to gain an improved understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of plankton communities and carbon fluxes in the ocean.

Lecturer in Marine Science; Ref: ATR1697

Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

Salary on appointment will be £48,149 per annum, with an annual increment up to £55,755 per annum. 

Further information: https://vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/1122/lecturer-in-marine-science-atr1697.html

Closing date: 2 May 2025

 

The University of East Anglia invites applications for a Lectureship in Marine Science based in the School of Environmental Sciences. You will have developed strong expertise in an area of marine science research and will be excited by the opportunity to develop your research interests in the rich interdisciplinary environment the School offers.

This joint post is part of a strategic alliance between the University of East Anglia and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas; https://www.cefas.co.uk/), the primary research agency responsible for advising government on marine environmental and fisheries management.

The post will involve developing research and teaching in the area of marine and/or coastal ecosystem services, plus enhancing the UEA-Cefas link through an active participation in the Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas (CCSUS). 

You will be based at UEA in Norwich, but will be expected to spend part of your time at the Cefas laboratory in Lowestoft (Suffolk), where you will have access to key facilities (including the research vessel Cefas Endeavour), and benefit from interactions with teams of government scientists.

You must have a PhD in Marine Science (or equivalent qualification) or a related discipline and will be able to fulfil all essential elements of the person specification.

This full-time post is available from 1 August 2025 on an indefinite basis. 

UEA offers a variety of flexible working options and although this role is advertised on a full-time basis, we encourage applications from individuals who would prefer a flexible working pattern including annualised hours, compressed working hours, part time, job share, term-time only and/or hybrid working. Details of preferred hours should be stated in the personal statement and will be discussed further at interview.

We strongly encourage applicants from women and all those from Black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds and welcome applications from all protected groups as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Appointment will be made on merit.

 

Benefits include:

  • 44 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays and University Customary days (pro rata for part-time).
  • Family and Work-life balance policies including hybrid working and considerable maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption leave.
  • Generous pension scheme with life cover for dependants, plus incapacity cover.
  • Health and Wellbeing: discounted access to Sportspark facilities, relaxation rooms, 320 acres of rolling parkland, wellbeing walks, Wellbeing Ambassador network, medical centre, Occupational Health and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
  • Campus Facilities: Sportspark, library, nursery, supermarket, post office, bars and catering outlets.
  • Exclusive shopping discounts to help cut the cost of household bills, childcare salary sacrifice scheme, Cycle to Work scheme and public transport discounts.
  • Personal Development: unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses, specialist advice and training from our Organisational Development and Professional Learning Team.

PhD opportunity: Is ocean circulation the ultimate driver of biological carbon storage in the ocean?

School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool

Further information: Is ocean circulation the ultimate driver of biological carbon storage in the ocean? at University of Liverpool on FindAPhD.com

Closing date: 1st June 2025

 

About the Project

Marine phytoplankton play a crucial role in the carbon cycle and climate by locking dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) in the deep ocean away from the atmosphere. This process is called the Biological Pump and is an important natural reservoir of carbon in our Earth System. The latest IPCC Report concluded there is high confidence that feedbacks to climate will arise from alterations to the Biological Pump, but the precise processes driving these feedbacks are still uncertain. Although the Biological Pump involves ecological and biological processes that are widely expected to change significantly with climate change, a new analysis of IPCC future projections showed that the slowing down of ocean circulation in response to warming is a main driver of carbon storage by the Biological Pump in the coming century (Wilson et al., 2022).

Project Aims and Methods

The PhD aims to quantify the importance of ocean circulation in driving biological carbon storage by the Biological Pump. The student will initially use an intermediate complexity Earth System Model to run historical simulations and future projections and investigate the role of circulation on the Biological Pump during the present-day and in the future, and identify the key processes that control the response of the biological pump to a climate-induced changing circulation. The student will have freedom to then explore various research directions based on their interests such as: 1) Will ocean circulation continue to be the main driver beyond the 21st century and/or after net zero? 2) What are the main drivers of uncertainties in the Biological Pump in current IPCC projections? 3) What impact does a changing circulation have on proposed marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) techniques?

Training and Support

The student will receive direct training and support from the supervisory team in running Earth System Models as well as processing and analysing their outputs. This includes training in widely-used programming languages and high performance computing. The student will work within the lab-group of the “Predicting Biological Carbon in the Ocean Globally” project newly funded by UKRI, alongside the PI and research staff. The project provides opportunities to engage and collaborate with the National Oceanography Centre, the international research network JETZON, Universities of York and East Anglia, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (IPSL), and the AXA Research Fund. The student will be supported to present their research at (inter)national conferences. The student will be situated within the internationally-leading Ocean Sciences Research Group at Liverpool and benefit from being part of a large and active postgraduate cohort and research environment.

Candidate Requirements

Candidates should have an academic background from across any of the following areas: ocean, earth system, climate, environmental, or natural sciences. Additional experience, or a strong interest in developing skills in, programming and command-line environments such as Unix/Linux will be beneficial.

Supervisors:

Jamie Wilson - jamie.wilson@liverpool.ac.uk

Alessandro Tagliabue -atagliab@liverpool.ac.uk

Anna Katavouta - annkat@noc.ac.uk

Oliver Andrews - oliver.andews@york.ac.uk

Research Associate in Oceanic Blue Carbon

Duration:  Full-time, fixed term for up to 24 months

£48,056 - £56,345 per annum

Closing date: 1 Apr 2025

Further information: Description | Jobs | Imperial College London

 

About the role

This post is funded by UKRI and is part of a large Horizon Europe consortia, SeaQUESTER, https://sea-quester.eu/ which aims to better understand marine carbon cycling and storage in polar ecosystems, and how climate change may produce new or novel blue carbon ecosystems as sea-ice melts. The regional focus is on Arctic and Antarctic Ocean ecosystems. We are looking for an enthusiastic Research Associate to join the team and develop computational approaches to assess blue carbon transit and stocks.

What you will be doing

You will be responsible for using different modelling approaches to determine the sequestration time of a variety of different marine carbon sinks using collated data from across the project (i.e the biological pump plus others including benthic carbon). The post will involve designing a new modelling framework allowing us to assess carbon sequestration globally and at the poles, across multiple biological mechanisms. This will involve constraining different types of data to make them useable for modelling purposes. You may also get the opportunity to go to sea too.

You will be responsible for leading and co-authoring peer-reviewed publications and will work closely with the wider project team. You will present findings to the research team as well as at national and/or international conferences. As this project is part of a large consortium, you will have the opportunity, and be expected to, collaborate widely within our smaller sub-team, but also with the rest of the consortia. There will also be the opportunity to work with international partners.

What we are looking for

  • Experience in computational modelling related to biogeochemistry or physics

  • A track record of overseeing successful experiments from design, manipulation and sampling, to data analysis and publishing the results

  • Knowledge of processes involved in organic carbon cycling in the ocean

  • Strong knowledge and ability in R or Python and other relevant applications to the study of biogeochemical/ecological statistics.

  • Enthusiasm for research in ocean carbon science.

What we can offer you

  • Being part of a large international network of project partners from across Europe, with the possibility of fieldwork and placements in the Arctic

  • Inclusion in a vibrant team at Silwood Park Campus working on many aspects of oceanic and freshwater carbon cycling

  • The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity

  • Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression

  • Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).