Job Description

Position Details

College of Life and Environmental Sciences

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to April 2028

Closing date: 8th November 2026

UK and International travel may be required for this role

Background

Tree Immunisation Platform for Urgent Landscape-Scale Adaptation (IMPULSA) project, funded by ARIA, tests whether early-life immune engineering can accelerate the adaptive capacity of long lived trees. The project will develop an immunisation strategy for forest regeneration by configuring seedling immunity to boost survival under stress.

A Biogeochemistry Research Fellow will assess how nutrient variation and drought influence immunised and non immunised oak seedlings grown in the Advanced Wolfson Glasshouses at the University of Birmingham under three treatments: nutrient regimes, soil water stress and elevated CO2.Across the growing season, nutrient cycling, enzyme activity and macro /micronutrient availability will be monitored using ion exchange resins, enzyme assays and bulk soil analyses. Plant tissue C:N:P ratios will indicate whether enhanced immunity is maintained without compromising growth under ambient and elevated CO₂. Drought will be imposed through controlled water limitation, with seedling responses measured via stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, water status, biomass and survival, including recovery after rewatering. The research will reveal how nutrient and drought stresses shape the growth and survival of immunised trees under current and future CO₂ conditions.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Contribute to generating funding
• Plan and undertake research on the role of nutrients and drought stresses in supporting the resilience of immunized tree seedling.
• To plan own day-to-day research activity within the framework of the agreed programme of research and co-ordinate own work with that of others in the group to avoid conflict or duplication of effort and promote synergies of research across the IMPULSA project.
• Maintain the experiment and analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Communicate research findings at meetings and conferences
• Engage in continuous professional development and to be responsible for continually updating own knowledge and understanding in field of research or specialism and for developing own skills
• Write a key manuscript(s) on the finding for publication.

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Understand state of the art theoretical and practical aspects of the nutrient and drought stress implications for young tree growth and how future climates will affect such performances of immunized trees.
• Plan and undertake research on growing trees in the glasshouse under environmental stress and elevated CO2 and how soil drought, nutrients, enzymes and chemistry support survival of immunized trees to be able to address the project specific objectives.
• Organize, analyse, interpret and curate the experimental data generated.
• Interpret the data and write up project reports, contextualise the findings with project teams and themes and write up manuscript(s) for publication.
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
• Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document.
• These indicative responsibilities may also be included in a research role at grade 6.

Person Specification

• PhD in in Environmental Science, Soil Science, Plant Sciences, Biogeochemistry, Biology or related disciplines.
• Be available to start full time from January 2027
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document.

Informal enquiries to Lesley Boyle, email: l.a.boyle@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.