Postdoctoral Research Associate in Ecology

About the role

The SalGo Team (https://salgo.web.ox.ac.uk/) at the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology seeks a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join the ERC Consolidator project ResIntegrate: Integrating and predicting resilience of ecological systems to multiple disturbances.

You will investigate the mechanisms of ecological resilience across biological scales using field experiments, AI-based species and individual identification, common-garden approaches, functional trait approaches, demographic modelling, and community stability theory. This work will focus on quantifying how ecological systems respond to interacting disturbances in grassland ecosystems within the global DRAGNet network.

The project combines field ecology, greenhouses, remote sensing, AI, and quantitative modelling. You will coordinate and actively partake in the integration of data across DRAGNet nodes and contribute to network-level synthesis, use functional traits and hyperspectral UAV data to quantify plant performance, and parameterise structured population models to link individual responses to population and community dynamics. As part of this position, you will help in the development of AI algorithms to identify individuals of different grassland plants species from UAV data. You will integrate these empirical data with new theoretical developments carried out by the rest of the team to understand and predict resilience to interacting disturbances.

You will be based in Prof Rob Salguero-Gómez’s research group in Oxford and collaborate closely with national and international partners across DRAGNet and related networks.

About you

You should hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in ecology or a related field. You will have experience integrating empirical ecological data with modelling or computational approaches, strong skills in R, and an interest in linking empirical data with ecological theory. Experience with demographic modelling, plant ecology, or remote sensing is desirable. You should be able to work independently, manage field campaigns, and collaborate effectively within a team. A key component of the role is developing reproducible analytical pipelines and contributing to cross-scale model–data integration within the ResIntegrate team.

How to apply

The University of Oxford is committed to equal opportunity, and to being a place where everyone belongs and is supported to succeed. We recognise how the diversity of our community enriches our ability to deliver on our academic mission.

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented within higher education. No applicant or members of staff shall be unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

This post is full time for 24 months and available from 1 September 2026.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 29 May 2026, interviews are likely to be scheduled for mid-June 2026. Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system, and you will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application.

Location: Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3EL

Pay Scale: RESEARCH GRADE 7

Salary: £39,424 - £40,514 per annum

Vacancy ID: 186237