"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Forest Resilience, Climate Change, and Human Health in the Amazon"

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Forest Resilience, Climate Change, and Human Health in the Amazon

Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, South Parks Road, OX1 3QY

The role

Reporting to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Jesús Aguirre Gutiérrez, the post holder is a member of the research group BioEO: Biodiversity and Earth Observation within the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. The post holder will have responsibility for developing research on the ecology, climate change and remote sensing of tropical forests in the Amazon and on how these relate to the distribution of vector-borne diseases in the Amazon forest. The post holder will carry out their research, advised by the PI and Dr. Milton Barbosa from the BioEO group and Dr. Claudia Codeço from the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (https://fiocruz.br).

Climate change poses a critical threat to tropical forests and human well-being, particularly in biodiverse and socioeconomically complex regions like the Amazon. This PhD will explore how tropical forests are functionally adapting to climatic pressures such as drought and warming, and how these ecological shifts intersect with public health outcomes and socioeconomic dynamics across Amazonian municipalities.

The Postdoctoral researcher will investigate how tree communities in primary forests are responding to climate change via changes in functional traits (e.g., sclerophylly, phenology, nutrient content), and how these adaptations vary across agrarian economic systems known as Techno-Productive Trajectories (TTs). Furthermore, the Postdoctoral researcher will quantify how such forest changes affect the prevalence of diseases linked to environmental degradation, including vector-borne and zoonotic illnesses. The post holder will also co-supervise a PhD student who will be involved in the same project. This is a highly interdisciplinary project combining forest ecology, remote sensing, machine learning, epidemiology, and socio-environmental modelling.

To be considered a successful candidate;

• A PhD degree in Ecology, Biodiversity analyses, Environmental Science, Remote Sensing, Epidemiology, Data Science, or a related field.
• Strong quantitative and programming skills (e.g., R required).
• Experience in ecological modelling with different Artificial Intelligence methodologies, including but not limited to machine learning.
• Interest in tropical ecology, public health, and sustainable development.
• Experienced and highly skilled in GIS and remote sensing.
• Strong communication skills and an interest in stakeholder engagement.
• Proficient in written and spoken Portuguese and English
• Ability to manage own research activities and be research independent, but be able to follow advice and work within a Team
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write text that can be published, present data at conferences, and represent the research group at meetings
• Experience carrying out ecological fieldwork in the tropics
• Committed to advancing diversity and inclusion
• Experience in (co-) supervising PhD and or MSc students

Applications for this vacancy should be made online, and you will be required to upload a CV and supporting statement as part of your application, explaining your interest in the role and how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for this post.

For further guidance and support, please visit https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/how-to-apply

Enquiries may be directed to recruit@ouce.ox.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is midday on 7 July 2025.

We offer very generous benefits, some of which are:

• Generous holiday allowance of 38 days, including bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Membership of the Oxford staff pension scheme
• Discounted bus travel
• Cycle loan scheme
• Plus, many other University benefits

The School of Geography and the Environment is committed to fostering a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Applications are particularly encouraged from women, Black, and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts at Oxford. The school holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award in recognition of its commitment to gender equality.

Contact Person:

HR Officer

Vacancy ID:

180108

Contact Phone:

Closing Date & Time:

07-Jul-2025 12:00

Pay Scale:

RESEARCH GRADE 7

Contact Email:

recruit@ouce.ox.ac.uk

Salary (£):

38674 - 46913