"Research Assistant - Dynamic Baselines for Carbon Markets"

Research Assistant: Conservation Science Group - Dynamic Baselines for Carbon Markets (Fixed Term)

Job Title: Research Assistant - Dynamic Baselines for Carbon Markets

Duration: Nine months of funding is available and the preferred start date for the role is February 2026.

About Us:
The Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits (4C) is dedicated to using a digital approach to direct climate finance to where it is most needed. We're seeking a motivated individual to join our interdisciplinary team. If you have excellent critical thinking skills, experience in coding, and a passion for nature conservation, we want to hear from you.

The Role:
As a Research Assistant, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team developing best practice approaches for measuring the impact of natural climate solutions, such as forest conservation and restoration. Your role involves developing and refining open-source algorithms to evaluate project impact and which can generate 'dynamic baselines' for issuing carbon credits. You will be working in a fast-paced research environment at the University of Cambridge with strong ties to carbon markets through the SHIFT-CM network, making the research highly applied. Your role includes collating pertinent data, developing software, running statistical analyses and presenting results in various formats.

Key Responsibilities:

• Produce and refine best practice guidance for implementing dynamic baselines
• Work closely with 4C's Head of Science and with stakeholders at SHIFT-CM to determine the analyses underpinning the best practice guidance
• Develop and refine 4C's open-source algorithms to produce dynamic baselines for natural climate solutions projects
• Evaluate project design documents meticulously, collating and curating pertinent data and narrative information
• Prepare reports for the centre's Head of Science and other stakeholders, facilitating the expansion of climate change mitigation through the conservation and restoration of nature

Project Background and Aims:
Carbon credits are a vital mechanism for financing the conservation and restoration of natural habitats, mitigating global climate change, and protecting biodiversity. However, the adoption of nature-based carbon credits faces challenges due to the lack of objective, scalable, and transparent techniques. 4C and SHIFT-CM aim to address this by developing best practice guidelines for implementing dynamic baselines and unambiguously measure project impact.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Relevant Bachelors or Masters in science, or another quantitative / analytical subject
• A passion for nature in the context of solving the climate crises
• Ability to carefully and critically evaluate reports
• Proficiency in handling various data types, including tabular and geospatial data
• Computer programming experience including command line and statistical software such as R or Python
• An understanding of the principles of reproducible research methods (e.g. version control, GitHub)
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems
• Experience of statistical analysis and scientific writing
• Good organisation and time management skills
• A proactive approach to seeking guidance
• Ability to communicate research findings clearly in oral and written formats to collaborators and other members of the group

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to: Dr Tom Swinfield
tws36@cam.ac.uk

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Paulina Lasocka hr@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PF48364 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Key information

Department/location: Department of Zoology

Salary: £33,002-£35,608

Reference: PF48364

Category: Research

Date published: 18 December 2025

Closing date: 18 January 2026