"Post-Doctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) in Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction"

University of Reading - Geography & Environmental Science

Placed On: 19th February 2026
Closes: 8th March 2026
Job Ref: SRF53055

Full-time, fixed-term contract (initially for 36 months with the potential for extension subject to funding).
The closing date for applications is 23.59 on 08/03/2026.
Interview date: 17/03/2026.

By reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship may be possible under the Skilled Worker Route. Applicants wishing to consider the SWR must ensure that they are able to meet the points requirement before applying. There is further information about this on the UK Visas and Immigration Website.

Reconstruction of the climate and vegetation of Africa over the past 6000 years and how this was influenced by human activities.

The PDRA in Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction will work on the EcoArch (Ecological Archaeologies of the Afrotropics) project and will be part of a team of scientists investigating the interactions between climate, vegetation, wildfire and human activities across Africa and the Middle East during the Holocene. The post-holder will be responsible for developing and applying new statistical and modelling methods for analysing these interactions at a local scale around key archaeological sites in the Afrotropics. They will also be responsible for developing a synthetic understanding of continental scale reconstructions of climate, vegetation and wildfire regimes through time, including the use of these reconstructions for model evaluation. The postholder will be based in Reading but will be expected to interact with other members of the EcoArch team in Oslo and Penn State.

You will have:

• A PhD in environmental science or closely related discipline by the start date of the appointment.
• Previous postdoctoral research experience.
• Familiarity and experience with state-of-the-art palaeoenvironmental reconstruction techniques.
• Broad up-to-date knowledge of the current status of palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental modelling and statistical techniques for model evaluation.
• Excellent programming skills.
• The ability to use own initiative and plan, manage and prioritise workload effectively to meet varied and strict project delivery deadlines.

Contact details for advert
Contact Name: Sandy P. Harrison
Job Title: Professor of Palaeoclimates and Biogeochemical Cycles
Email Address: s.p.harrison@reading.ac.uk