Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Palaeobiology, with a focus on Extinction Selectivity.

Reporting to Professional Investigator, Associate Professor Erin Saupe, the post holder will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research for NERC grant, “Determining extinction correlates on geological timescales”. Providing guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including research assistants, technicians, and PhD and project students. Developing an analytical framework to achieve the grant objectives, the postholder will also write and publish scientific papers on the relationship abiotic environmental variables and extinction selectivity.

Not only this, but the postholder will examine the biological and environmental factors that have led to elevated extinction risk among marine organisms over 465 million years of evolutionary history. They will specifically test whether external, environmental stressors are better predictors of extinction risk than biological traits. They will additionally examine whether the synergistic interaction between environmental stressor (e.g. temperature and dissolved O2) better predict extinction risk than any variable alone.

You will hold or be close to completion of PhD/DPhil together with relevant experience. Along with possessing sufficient knowledge in the discipline to work within established research programmes, having had previous experience of contributing to publications/presentations and the ability to contribute new ideas for new research projects and research income generation.

Having the ability to stand-alone and make decisions, you will have excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for publications, present research proposals and results and represent the research group at meetings. Experience of independently managing a discrete area of a research project and actively collaborating in the development of research articles for publications are desirable but not essential.

The deadline for applications is midday on 11 September 2025. Interviews will be held on 17 September 2025.